
Glass _Ll_ * 

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(A 



THEORY OF PNEUMATOLOGY. 



THEORY OF PNEUMATOLOGY, 

IN REPLY TO THE QUESTION, 
WHAT OUGHT TO BE BELIEVED OR DISBELIEVED 

CONCERNING 

Hi*r$*3!ttm*!tt0, Winona ana Apparitions, 

ACCORDING TO NATURE, REASON, AND SCRIPTURE, 

DGCT R - JOHANN HEINRICH JUNG-STILLING, 

LATE PROFESSOR OF THE UNIVERSITIES OF HEIDELBERG AND 

MARBURG, AND PRIVATE AULIC-COUNSELLOR TO THE 

GRAND DUKE OF BADEN. 



TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, WITH COPIOUS NOTES, 
BT 

SAMUEL JACKSON. 






LONDON : 

LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMAN. 

1834. 






Southw&rk; Printed by S.Thomas 8c Son, 187, Union Street. 



PREFACE, 



BY THE TRANSLATOR. 



There will be doubtless many, into whose 
hands this work may fall, who will be ready to in- 
quire, " What does it concern me, whether I believe 
in appearances from the invisible world or not ? and 
what benefit can society derive from the publication 
of such a work ?" 

To this, it is briefly replied, that its object is, 
first of all, to overthrow the system of Materialism 
and consequent Infidelity, which is so alarmingly 
prevalent ; secondly, to place undeniable supernatu- 
ral phenomena upon their proper basis, which, at 
this juncture is peculiarly needful ; thirdly, to 
cast a clear and evident light upon the state of the 



PREFACE. 



soul after death, respecting which, such great and 
dangerous mistakes are made, and such wilful igno- 
rance prevails; and, lastly, by such a variety of 
solemn considerations, to promote personal holiness 
in the heart and life. The work has therefore refer- 
ence, more or less, to every individual, and the 
Translator feels persuaded, that an impartial peru- 
sal of its pages, will convince the reader of its im- 
portance and utility. 

It is true, the subject is unpopular, and it has 
been opposed, even recently, by several learned men, 
who have endeavoured to bring it into still greater 
disrepute ; but it is in vain to argue against well-au- 
thenticated facts, or from natural data, to judge of 
that which is spiritual. Scarcely is there an indivi- 
dual, who passes through life, without having either 
experienced something of the kind himself, or heard 
of such like appearances from credible testimony ; 
and although many, deceived by false reasoning, 
may attribute all these to a disordered imagination, 
or to optical illusion, and be therefore inclined to 
reject every attempt to place the subject in a more 
conspicuous light: yet there are also some, who 
are still open to conviction, and dissatisfied with 



PREFACE. VII 

the specious efforts that are made to explain away 
every manifestation from the world of spirits, will 
welcome a work which professes to draw aside the 
veil of obscurity, in which this highly important 
subject has been so long enveloped, and peruse it 
. with seriousness and attention. 

The most plausible theories are, however, of 
little real value, unless they are based on irrefraga- 
ble premises; and our author has, therefore, not 
been wanting to adduce a series of well-authentica- 
ted facts to establish his positions. To these the 
Translator has added, in the notes, a variety of state- 
ments of a similar nature, extracted from other cre- 
dible sources; that by the testimony of a number of 
witnesses, at different periods, and in various coun- 
tries, the subject may be placed, as much as possi- 
ble, beyond a doubt. 

But should these various testimonies fail of 
producing entire conviction, or should the inquiring 
mind desire further information on topics so import- 
ant : the writer has the pleasure to state, that since 
the translation of the present work, he has met with 
a most singular and remarkable proof of the different 



PREFACE. 



positions laid down by our Author, in a foreign pub- 
lication of very recent date, which gives still greater 
insight into the nature of the spiritual world and its 
connexion with the material ; and should his pre- 
sent undertaking meet with a favourable reception, 
he trusts, ere long, to be able to lay the work in. 
question also before the public. 



Heme Hill, 1st Jan. 1834. 



CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Belief of all nations, in every age, in invisible influence. 
— The objects of this belief corresponded with the national 
character. — Hence the doubts of the existence of a world of 
spirits. — Refutation of these doubts, and proofs of the real- 
ity of a world of spirits. — The Bible the genuine source of 
truth. Various parties with respect to the belief of it. — 
The first party receives the Holy Scriptures as a divine re- 
velation, and is divided into two classes. The first believes 
that all apparitions, since the time of the apostles, are de- 
ceptions or illusions of Satan. — The second believes them 
all, and attaches too much importance to such apparitions; 
warning against it. — The second party subjects the Bible to 
the criticism of reason, and reduces every thing to mere 
morality. — The third party believes nothing at all; it is the 
niost prevalent in the present day. — The intention of this 
work has reference to all these parties. My motives for it. — 
The first party is shown, that amongst so many thousand 
deceptions, there are, notwithstanding, real apparitions. — 
The second party must not regard every thing inexplicable 
as natural; the causes of the most dreadful enthusiasm. — 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Mistakes of the third and fourth parties, they explain every 
thing naturally, and are incited by three kinds of motives. 
— The first motive is, the supposed irrefragability of the 
mechanic-philosophical system. — The second is, the over- 
throw of superstition, without a correct knowledge of it. 
Good advice for lovers of the truth. — The third is, the wish 
that there were no invisible world ; defective idea of the 
immortality of the soul. . . . . .1 

CHAPTER I. 

EXAMINATION AND REFUTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF 

MATERIALISM. 

Dreadful abuse of the belief in presentiments and ap- 
paritions of spirits amongst Jews and Heathens. Ratifica- 
tion tiiereof by Christ and his apostles.— Ideas of the first 
christian churches of the invisible world. — Their idea.s of 
the solar system. — Of the abode and influence of good and 
evil angels and departed souls. — Accordance of these ideas 
with the Bible, and the then prevalent Platonic philosophy. 
-^The pride and ambition of the clergy was the cause why 
all these ideas degenerated into dreadful errors and abuses. 
— The chief source of the most senseless superstition, its 
overthrow not accomplished by denying the truth. — Over- 
throw of the ancient Ptolemaic solar system by the Coper- 
nican; scruples with reference to this. — Consequences of 
the Reformation and renewed mistakes. — New philosophi- 
cal systems, the Copernican system established, prejudicial 
consequences of this system with regard to the christian 
faith. — Consoling assurance with respect to these conse- 
quences. — Inconsistent conduct of the clergy at all these 



CONTENTS. XI 

PACK. 

discoveries. Origin of Materialism and Fatalism. — The 
world a machine, its self-existence, which needs no divine 
or invisible influence. — Attempt of philosophers to unite 
their mechanical system with the freewill of man. — Hence 
the system of the best of worlds, its absurdity. — Horrible 
consequences of this system, and yet it continues the 
guiding star of modern enlightening, which leads to destruc- 
tion. — Leibnitz, the inventor of this system, did not forebode 
its results, his Theodice\ — Not all the disciples of this sys- 
tem are so deeply sunk, but are yet on the way to it. — 
Hindrances in the way of my Theory of Pneumatology ; 
they must be removed. — To these belong the mechanism of 
the world, which needs neither God, nor angels, nor spi-t 
rite. — Notwithstanding all these discoveries, the common 
people adhered to their faith and superstitions. — The light 
of modem philosophy discovered superstition in all its na- 
kedness; it was overthrown, but faith along with it. Bal- 
thasar Becker, Thomasius. — Basis on which the assailers of 
superstition and faith erect their batteries. Atheism, its 
result. — Pretended proof, that there are neither good nor evil 
angels. — Difficulty in the explanation of human nature. — 
Doctrine of indivisibility and predetermined harmony . The 
present system, that the soul can do nothing without the 
body. — Melancholy and comfortless consequences of this 
system. — Developement of the erroneous fundamental prin- 
ciples of Materialism. — Accomplishment and proof of this 
developement. Our ideas of the visible world depend solely 
upon the organization of our- organs of sense. — The organs 
of sense are conscious of things in time and space, both are 
their own modes of perception. — God alone views the world 



Xll CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

as it really is, but not in time and space; therefore neither 
of them exist in nature. — Divine origin of the organization 
of human nature. — Caution against Idealism. — Proof of the 
assertion in the paragraph preceding the last. — What the 
sensible world is. — For this we are organized, to this belongs 
the Copernican system : but for the super-sensible world, 
the Bible idea is the true one. — The mechanical system is 
our sure guide in the sensible world, but is death and des- 
truction in the super-sensible. — The plan of the best world 
is a childish idea. Mode of acting with respect to the divine 
counsels. The sensible world consists of beings which are 
entirely unknown to us ; intimate connection of the super- 
sensible with the visible; light is the medium. — Division 
of the whole creation into the sensible or visible world, and 
the invisible or world of spirits; man enters the latter at 
death. — The inhabitants of the world of spirits, who are in 
the two kingdoms, consist of good and evil angels and hu- 
man souls: Their influence on the invisible world. — The 
system of Materialism rejected, and the free theocratic sys- 
tem put in its place. . . . . .10 

CHAPTER II. 

REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

Warning against soaring too high. — Good and evil 
angels act upon the visible world, but our reason and sen- 
ses are seldom conscious of it. — Proof that mankind are 
by no means referred to these influences, but solely to the 
divine government. — The actio in distans is unnatural in 
the visible world, but natural in the invisible. — Sense of 
the terms foreboding and presentiment. — Correct idea of 



CONTENTS. Xlll 

, PAGE. 

the human body in former times. — Total ignorance of the 
soul and how it operates upon the body ; a newly opened 
source of knowledge. — Animal Magnetism, its origin, 
abuse, and truth. — Assured sources of its correctness and 
certainty. — Limitation to undoubted results, somnambu- 
lism, exaltation of the powers of the soul. — Seeing from 
the region of the heart, radiant atmosphere around the 
magnetizer, and looking into his interior. — Perception of 
others through the magnetizer. (Rapport) perfect exalted 
consciousness, reading from the region of the heart. — 
Remarkable book on the inward man. Account of an ex- 
tremely interesting somnambulist at Lyons. — Remarks on 
the foregoing account. — Somnambulists read the thoughts 
in the souls of others ; an example of this. — They attain 
an insight into the w 7 orld of spirits, bring astonishing in- 
telligence from thence, and know what takes place at a 
distance. — The most uninformed somnambulists attain in 
their bodies a correct acquaintance with their disease, and 
prescribe the most effectual remedies for it. Somnambu- 
lists often act like sleepwalkers, but in a more perfect man- 
ner. — Notwithstanding the greatest physicians are convin- 
ced of all this, they do not dare to act upon it, because 
it contradicts their system. — Of ether, the theories of light 
and sound are inadmissible, and unsatisfactory. — Proof 
that ether is the uniting medium between the visible and 
invisible world. — The nervous power or animal spirit is 
etherial. — How this light-being and the rational soul unite 
in the body. — Three component parts of man, body, light- 
covering, and spirit ; the two latter constitute the human 
soul.— -More minute description of the human soul, half 



XIV CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

animal, half angel. — The soul is naturally not visible ; the 
somnambulists see itas an azure blueglimmer of light; itsat- 
mosphere about the body —The soul works naturally through 
the medium of the brain and the nerves, in the magnetic 
state without either. — In the latter state, the soul operates 
in a much more lively and exalted manner, than in the for- 
mer ; but it experiences nothing of the visible world except 
in rapport. — It is incomprehensible, that these remarka- 
ble discoveries are not taken advantage of psychologically. 
— The eternal spirit must have a medium by which it 
feels and is felt; this is ether. — Inferences drawn from 
magnetic experience; they prove the existence of a cover- 
ing of light, that the soul possesses the body merely for 
the visible world, and without it, is much more perfect 
he. — What passes in the soul at death — The objection 
refuted, that the somnambulists use the nerves and the 
brain. — Further important conclusions regarding the state 
of the soul after death. — Hysteric and melancholy trances 
are nothing more than a naturally produced somnambu- 
lism. — All visions, revelations, and prophecies, which occu 
in this state, are nothing but the consequences of somnam 
bulism, and not divine, but the effects of disease. — 
Causes of a natural magnetic sleep. — Carnal affection 
one of its fruitful sources. Several remarkable and dread- 
ful instances of it. — Substantial proof that the holiest souls 
in this state are not secure against deception. — Important 
destiny of man, and the duties resulting from it. — Singu- 
lar effects of nervous disorders. Appearances in a waking 
state, as well in trances, from natural causes ; appear- 
ances from the invisible world, the boundaries of 



CONTENTS. XV 

PAGE. 

both. — Even the most sacred and sublime appearances, 
may be the effects of a diseased imagination. Its lamen- 
table consequences. — The highest kind of apparitions 
founded in the nature of man, is when the individual is 
able to show himself elsewhere, whilst alive in the body. 
— Very remarkable occurrence in America. — The circum- 
stance explained, and remarks upon it.— Several degrees 
of detachment of the soul from the body. Sleep, dreams, 
sleepwalkers. Trances of hysterical and hypochondriachal 
individuals, complete detachment in death. — In one per- 
son this detachment is easier than in another ; secret 
means for attaining it. — More minute and lucid explana- - 
tion of the occurrence in America.— On self-appearances, 
when any one sees himself; imaginary apparitions. — The 
question decided where natural appearances cease, and 
those from the invisible world commence. — On the capa- 
bility of entering into connexion with the invisible world 
in this life. The longing of certain departed souls for 
this intercourse. — Nature of the invisible world and its 
situation. Hades. — Departed souls are as much afraid 
of the apparitions of the living, as the latter are of them. 
—-Wherein the capability of intercourse with spirits con- 
sists. — Swedenborg's history. He was no deceiver. — 
Proof that his affair with the Queen of Sweden is true. — 
His announcing at Gottenburg a fire taking place at Stock- 
holm. He shews a widow where her deceased husband 
had deposited a receipt. — Remarkable and authentic ac- 
count of what passed between Swedenborg and a merchant 
ofElberfeld. — What is truth and error with respect to 



Xvi CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Swedenborg — Incontestable conclusion respecting the na- 
ture of man. — Caution against the invisible world ; how 
to act in such a case . . . „ .39 



CHAPTER III. 

ON PRESENTIMENTS, PREDICTIONS, ENCHANTMENTS, AND 
PROPHESYING. 

Real presentiments, developed faculty of presenti- 
ments, witchcraft, predictions, and real divine prophecies. 
— Real presentiments. — Remarkable presentiment of the 
late Professor Boehm. — Philosophical explanation of this 
presentiment refuted. — True and Biblical explanation of 
real presentiments. — Incomprehensible absurdity of Ma- 
terialism. — Remarkable presentiment of my late principal, 
Mr. Spanier. — Its certainty, objection refuted. — Madam de 
Beaumont's account of a remarkable true presentiment. — 
Another of a housekeeper, who foreboded that an arbour 
would be struck by lightning. — Presentiments, the object 
of which is not easily ascertained, first instance, M. Von 
Brenkenhofs dream. — Probable object of this dream. — 
Very remarkable prophetic dream of the Princess Nagotsky 
of Warsaw. — Three similar dreams regarding the lottery 
by Dr. Knape. — Presentiments communicated by a pious 
preacher. — Reflections upon such apparently aimless 
dreams. — Insufficiency of Materialism in the explanation 
of these facts. — Substantial deductions from this dark 
affair. — Principles of my Theory of Pneumatology, and 
of real presentiments. — Aimless forebodings and dreams, 



CONTENTS. XV11 

PAGE. 

what the faculty of presentiment is, its developement. — 
How the faculty of presentiment operates. — Lasting gene- 
ral developed faculty of presentiment, several kinds of 
such persons. — The first kind is, when the faculty of pre- 
sentiment is developed by the practice of godliness. — The 
danger of this state, and how those have to act who find 
themselves in it. — The conduct of others in such circum- 
stances. — Very important caution regarding such extraor- 
dinary gifts. — Remarkable faculty of presentiment in 

Madam W. of S . — Reflections upon it, confirmation 

of my theory, Magic, warning against it. Apparition of 
Admiral Goligny. — Most remarkable prediction of M. 
Cazotte, at Paris, in the year 1788. — Proof of the truth 
of this narrative. — An addition to it, and to the proof of 
its truth. — Reflections, conclusions, warnings, &c. — 
Second-sight, a consequence of a developed faculty of 
presentiment. — A singular instance of this kind in the 
province of Nassau. — Another from the Westphalian 
county of Mark. — Explanation of second-sight, being a 
consequence of a developed faculty of presentiment ; duty 
of the police with respect to it. — Explanatory remarks on 
second-sight. — Materialists not only deny all phenomena 
from the invisible world, but also brand them with infamy, 
because they are experimental proofs of the christian re- 
ligion. — Elucidation of this proof; what is incumbent on 
such occasions. — Causes why such like apparitions are so 
seldom inquired into. — How the true christian ought to 
ct in this case. — An important remark. — On witchcraft 
and enchantment, their possibility.— On the power of 
Satan, he can now injure no one except by the man ? s 
b 



XV111 CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

own fault.— No more can witches and magicians. — Origin 
and history of witchcraft. — An instructive narrative ex- 
planatory of this dark affair. — Such suspicious characters 
should be dealt with in a rational and christian-like man- 
ner. — The accusing any one of witchcraft a horrible and 
yet not uncommon crime. — Remarkable account by Eck- 
hartshausen of the effects of certain perfumes. — Appearan- 
ces over graves, probably resurrection-germs.— Why magic 
potions, perfumes, &c. are prejudicial to health ; various 
means used by heathen nations to procure intercourse 
with the invisible world. — All these acts were forbidden by 
the Mosaic Law. The Witch of Endor, Saul, and Samuel. 
— Extremely important results of my theory of the deve- 
loped faculty of presentiment. Exhortation to prudence 
with regard to the times that are approaching. — Proof that 
the real Bible-miracles were not wrought by magnetism, 
&c. — Proof that the developed faculty of presentiment 
must by no means be confounded with the gift of prophe- 
cy. — Real character of the prophets an,d their predictions. 
My ideas of Balaam. . . . . .97 

CHAPTER IV. 

ON VISIONS AND APPARITIONS. 

Superstition has caused accounts of apparitions to be 
received with ridicule, but all do not proceed from supersti- 
tion. — Proof of the possibility and reality of apparitions of 
spirits, against philosophers and theologians. — What I mean 
by visions. — Rule by which a vision may be distinguished 
from a real apparition. — Very remarkable apparition of a 
spirit that seeks to induce one of its descendants to dig for 



CONTENTS. XIX 

PAGE. 

treasure, and leaves striking marks of its presence on a Bi- 
ble and handkerchief. — An important appendage to this nar- 
rative. — Proof of its authenticity. — Explanation how the 
seer's faculty of presentiment became gradually developed, 
by which difficulties are cleared up. — Dreadful state of a 
departed spirit, which is still fettered by attachment to earthly 
things. — Proof that the requests of the spirit were improper, 
and that the seer was in the right not to fulfil them. Illu- 
sive appearances. — Proof that spirits possess a creative 
power. — What would probably have been the result, if the 
spirit had been obeyed. — Explanation how the spirit was 
able to read writing. — Important inferences from the fact, 
that the spirit, when angry or melancholy, streamed fire from 
his fingers. — Why he appeared in the clothes he commonly 
wore. — Gradual progress of spirits after death, with which 
their appearance and costume corresponds. — On the inter- 
course and social relations of departed souls. — Further sup- 
positions. Proof that both the spirit and its superiors were 
in error. — Well -founded supposition that the work of re- 
demption is carried on after death. — Remarkable apparition, 
which proves that we ought not to be presumptuous with 
regard to the invisible world and its circumstances. — Ap- 
parition of Augustus III King of Poland, to field-marshal 
Von Grumbkow. — Certainty of the fact. Causes which 
might have induced the soul of the king to appear to 
Grumbkow. — Psychological definition of the mode of think- 
ing and imagining after death.— Whether we shall, after 
death, contemplate the works of creation, and that in a 
superior manner than at present. — What is to be inferred 
from self apparitions ; three instances of it.— Proof that no 



XX CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

one ever died from a mere impression of the imagination ; 
the possibility of it from violent mental emotions. — It is 
supposed that our friends, after death, sympathize in our 
fate, and are about us. — Remarkable warning apparition 
respecting the Duke of Buckingham. — Remarks upon it; 
why the apparition did not appear to the Duke himself. — 
Another proof that our deceased friends* sympathize in our 
fate, but often mistake in the choice of the means of help. 
— Extract from a letter regarding a very remarkable appa- 
rition. — Proof that it was no empty vision. — Proof that 
Hades ought not to be feared; what is requisite for this 
purpose. — State of a soul to which Hades is painful; means 
of attaining to rest. — Explanation of the apparition men- 
tioned in the letter; caution to the seer of it. — Observations 
and instructions with respect to the black spirit. — Further 
important reflections regarding the faculty of presentiment 
and the resurrection-germ. — Another mode of proceeding in 
case of apparitions. — Narrative of the apparition in the Ca- 
roline College at Brunswick. — Absurdity of the efforts made 
by modern philosophers to explain away this fact, as well 
as every other of the same nature. The true reason of it. — 
The real cause why Doerien appeared after his death. — 
Important rules for dying christians. Remarks upon the 
man without the wedding garment, Matth. xxii. — Further 
explanatory observations relative to this apparition.— What 
is requisite to hear a spirit speak audibly. — Remarks on the 
creative power of spirits. — Opinion of the conduct of 
Professor Oeder. — Very remarkable apparition to Duke 
Christian of Saxe-Eisenberg. — Observations upon it. — 
Caution respecting religious intercourse with persons of 



CONTKNTS. XXI 

PAGE. 



a different sex.— The importance of being reconciled be- 
fore entering the other world. — How a departed spirit 
may feel and distinguish heat and cold, light and dark- 
ness. — Inquiry why the reconciliation of the two spirits took 
place in the earthly state. — Proof of the melancholy conse- 
quences produced in eternity by absurd feelings of rank. — 
Important rules of conduct with respect to rank. — Particu- 
larly for rulers. — Application of these ideas to the apparition 
of the last two spirits. — Probable reason why Priuce Chris- 
tian ordered himself to be buried in quick-lime. On spi- 
rits that wander about without any object. — Remarkable 
narrative of the apparition of the spirit of a Capuchin monk ; 
— admirable courage of the observer, which might have been 
dangerous to him. — What he ought to have done. — The 
spirit of the Capuchin does not belong to the class of merely 
noisy spectres. — Probable reasons why the spirit of the Ca- 
puchin acts the part of a Sack bearer, and why he was heard 
so dreadfully at the happy death of a protestant. — Why the 
spirit appeared twice in the figure of a Capuchin, but did 
not let himself be seen by my friend. — Inconceivable con- 
duct of people at the appearance of spirits. — Singular re- 
mark that spirits have no rest, till their remains are regularly 
interred. — Such requests proceed from mistaken ideas. 
How to act in such cases. — A hint of some importance, 
that it is proper to inter dead bodies. — Account of the cele- 
brated White Lady, and where she appears. — Authenticity 
and truth of this apparition. Two irrefutable testimonies. 
— Further account where, how, and when the White Lady 
appears. — She has only spoken twice. — A peculiarly re- 
markable apparition of the White Lady, occasioned by the 



XX11 CONTENTS. 

PAG 12, 

neglect of a charitable institution. — The White Lady is not 
in a state of salvation, much less of perdition. — Her proba- 
ble history and parentage. Her name is Bertha Von Ro- 
senberg, and she lived in the fifteenth century. — Her mar- 
riage with Johann Von Lichtenstein proves very unhappy, 
hence her mental bitterness, which hitherto prevents her sal- 
vation. — She is left a widow, builds the castle of Neuhaus, 
and institutes a yearly feast for the poor. — Her place and 
manner of appearing more precisely fixed. — Probable rea- 
sons why she wanders about, and occasionally appears. — 
Her state is not desirable, she is still in error. Apparitions 
of spirits do not produce amendment. Concluding remarks. 222 

CHAPTER V. 

A brief review of the Theory of Pneumatology, and 
inferences from it. . ,. . . 370 

NOTES 389 



INTRODUCTION, 



If we take a retrospective view of the history of 
mankind, from the present period up to the earliest ages, 
we shall find that it is increasingly interwoven with the 
influence of super or sub-human, good or evil beings : 
beings, whose existence as well as whose actions seem to 
have no appropriate plan in the chain of sensible nature, 
and yet have been believed in by every nation upon earth, 
down to the present time. 

The observation, that all these beings adapt them- 
selves precisely to the character and degree of culture 
of the people by whom they are believed, honored, or 
abhorred, is at the same time both very just and remark- 
able. If we compare the mythology of the ancient 
Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans with the wild romances 
of the Icelandic Edda, ^he grotesque labyrinth of the 
mythology of Brama, and the abominations of the ancient 
.. Mexicans, we shall find that the deities of each of the'ge 



2 INTRODUCTION. 

nations were, so to speak, their countrymen. The good 
conducted themselves precisely according to the manners 
of those that were esteemed the Better class, and the 
wicked practised that which was regarded as vicious. 

This observation gives some shadow of probability 
to the present prevailing idea amongst rationalists, that 
all these beings have, at no period and in no nation, been 
any thing else than a dream, a deception of the imagin- 
ation, and a fable, and that they are so still ; but that 
this is nothing more or less than a shadow, may be easily 
proved. Let the following question be calmly, impar- 
tially, and conscientiously considered and investigated. 

" Can the human imagination conceive or create any 
thing for which it has no materials?" Every honest 
rational thinker will answer, "No, it cannot possibly form 
an image of that which does not strike the senses.' ' It, 
therefore, incontestibly follows from hence, that mankind 
never would have had even a distant presentiment of an 
invisible world of spirits, of the continuation of our ex- 
istence after death, of good and evil spirits and of deities, 
if that which is above sense had not revealed itself to 
sense. Why is it that we know nothing of an animal 
world of spirits ? Why is the re -appearance of friendly 
domestic animals never spoken of? Naturally because 
such a world never manifested itself to man. But where 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

is there such a revelation of the rational world of spirits 
to be found, on the statements of which we can safely 
depend, and on the certainty of which, irreversible sys- 
tems may be founded ? 

The genuine Israelite and the true-believing Christ- 
tian immediately and with confidence reply, " In the 
Bible ! " * True ; but the public, for whom I write, 
consists of parties, whose ideas of this holy document 
are much at variance. 

The first of these parties receives, without hesitation, 
all that is said in the Bible, as the word of God; and 
yet this party is likewise divided into two distinct classes* 
The individuals, who colnpose the first class, adhere 
firmly to the articles of faith of the Protestant church, 
and whilst they believe all the appearances from the in- 
visible world, which are related in the Bible, reject every 
thing of this nature subsequent to the times of the Apos- 
tles ; and when undeniable facts are adduced, ascribe 
them to a delusion of Satan and his angels, rather than 
retract any thing from their system. 

Those that belong to the other class not only believe 
all the supernatural appearances related in the Bible, but 
also the continuation of them down to the present time. 
* See note 1. 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

But they generally run too far into the other extreme, by 
regarding as supernatural, all those effects of the imag- 
ination, or even of material nature, which are not com- 
prehensible by the understandings of the generality of 
men ; and especially by attaching more value and im- 
portance to appearances from the invisible world, than 
belongs to them. The latter point forms a particular 
part of my object in the present undertaking ; I beg the 
reader to keep it in view. 

The second of these parties divests the holy scriptures 
of all oriental embellishment, for thus they denominate 
all those images, for which their enlightened reason can 
find no place in the storehouse of their brain, because 
they do not suit its furniture. They give tolerable 
credence to the abstract history of the Bible, under the 
superintendence, however, of their rational criticism ; 
but morals and morality they regard as the chief thing, 
whenever divine revelation is the subject of discourse. 

Finally, the third party believe neither in the Bible 
nor in an invisible world ; it is to them a matter of indif- 
ference, whether, and in what manner they shall continue 
to exist after death ; their element is intellectual know- 
ledge and the pleasures of sense, and they reject that 
which is not capable of elucidation from the former and 
its approximate principles. This is properly the dcmi- 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

nant party in the present day ; the spirit of the times is 
the deity that guides them in all their actions, and that 
philosophy, which is continually changing like the fashion, 
is his revelation : belief, even of the most credible things, 
is entirely out of the question. 

The intention of this work extends itself to all these 
four parties, and it would be well if it were attained.— 
The undertaking is difficult ; but as during my long and 
remarkable life, I have had a multitude of opportunities 
of making all kinds of observations ; as an over-ruling 
Providence has likewise so guided me, that I have found 
the key to phenomena of a very mysterious nature ; and 
as, lastly, I have been called upon to publish my theory 
by an illustrious personage, to whom I can refuse no tiling, 
because all his wishes are noble and good — I therefore 
hazard it in God's name, and entreat all my. readers to 
examine the work with calmness and an unprejudiced 
mind. I believe that it contains a word in season ; as 
at present there are singular manifestations in various 
places, by which the well-meaning may be led astray 
from the pursuit of the one thing needful, into by-roads 
and errors. 

I shall therefore shew the first of these parties, that 
amongst a thousand dreams, deceptions, fables, and fan- 
tastic tales, there still continue to be some true and 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

undeniable presentiments, visions, and apparitions of 
spirits, with which Satan and his angels have nothing 
to do. The enormous abuse, which the Romish Church 
practised with these things from the very commencement, 
induced the Reformers to set bounds to it by articles of 
faith ; but experience teaches that they have wandered, 
though less dangerously, yet quite as far on the opposite 
direction from the truth, which calmly pursues her radi- 
ant path between the two extremes. 

I will prove to the second party, that there are 
very many important and apparently inexplicable phe- 
nomena, the causes of which they seek in the world of 
spirits, or even in divine influence,, but which are founded 
solely in human nature, whose depths have not yet been 
sufficiently displayed, and perhaps never will be wholly 
discovered. This mistake of these well-meaning, but 
not sufficiently instructed people, has given rise to the 
most monstrous fanaticism and the most lamentable 
results. Hence, sects have arisen, which have been a 
shame and disgrace to the pure religion of Christ; for 
instances of which, I refer the reader to a work of mine 
called " Theobald, or the Enthusiasts." 

The third and fourth parties mutually agree in be- 
lieving nothing of all this, but declare that it is all either 
a delusion and deceit, or the operation of some secret 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

powers of human nature, hitherto concealed from us. — 
But as, notwithstanding all this, there are nevertheless 
facts, the certainty of which cannot he denied, they ven- 
ture explanations, which are so absurd, that as Kcestner 
once said, "if they were true, they would be still more 
wonderful, than what they seek to explain away." 

All these incredulous people are actuated by three 
different motives. 

The first is, that system of Materialism, which they 
lay as the foundation of their elucidation, both with re- 
gard to the whole of the sensible world and the corporeal 
powers of nature and spirit, and which they hold as irre- 
versibly true. 

The second has superstition and its destruction for 
its object. The most senseless explanations are hazarded, 
and, with permission be it spoken, even tics> when they 
no more know how to help themselves, if they can only 
thereby give a mortal thrust to what they consider as 
superstition. But what is superstition ? What is enthu- 
siasm? At one end of the chain, the religion of Jesus 
in its highest purity, is enthusiastic superstition ; at the 
other end stand the most senseless, and the wildest rev* 
eries in the place of truth ! That holy guide through the 
obscure path of this life, which is intersected with so 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

many cross roads, you, my dear readers, will surely find, 
if with an unprejudiced and resigned mind, that loves the 
truth, you do not gape and grasp at that which is won- 
derful and extraordinary, nor seek to fathom the hidden 
mysteries of the unseen world, but only to win the glori- 
ous prize, and to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him 
crucified. Should there any thing ever occur to you 
from the hidden and mysterious world, act towards it 
according to the rules, which I shall lay before you in 
this book, and then pursue your path, without lingering 
long at the consideration of such objects. 

The third motive is, finally, of such a nature, that 
we pity it, and calmly hasten past it. Presentiments, 
visions, and apparitions of spirits, testify of an invisible 
world of spirits, which is the abode of departed souls, 
and of good and evil angels and spirits. They prove the 
existence of the soul after death, with the full conscious- 
ness of its present existence, and the recollection of the 
w T hole of its past earthly life ; and besides this, also, the 
great truth of rewards and punishments after death. — 
But this is an eye-sore to certain people ; they are well 
aware what kind of fate awaits them, if what is said 
above be true. There are some, who suppose a kind of 
continuation of their thinking part ; yet they do not be- 
lieve in the recollection of their earthly life, but dream 
of an entirely new existence, which is a degree nobler 



IXTRODUCTION. 9 

and better than the present, and on which the life they 
have led here has no influence. But the whole of this 
idea is just as worthless, as that of total annihilation after 
death ; for if I am unable to remember any thing what- 
ever of my present life, its various events, my wife, and 
children, and friends, my weaknesses and my good actions: 
I am no longer the same person, but quite another being. 
May God graciously preserve us from such a future state ! 
and eternal praise and thanks be ascribed unto him, that 
the Bible, the universal judgment of all nations in every 
age, and continual unquestionable experience testify 
directly to the contrary. 

All the ideas of persons of this class, are inferences, 
the principles of which are founded on Materialism. — 
My first attempt shall therefore be to ascend, destroy, 
and demolish this strong and dangerous hold of infidelity. 



10 



CHAP. I. 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 



Amongst all nations, tongues, and languages, from 
the beginning of the world until now, there has not been 
one which denied presentiments, visions, and apparitions ; 
on the contrary, if here and there an individual appeared, 
who was so wise and rational as to believe nothing of all 
this, he was abhorred as an atheist, who, after this life, 
might expect severe punishment. Of the many abom- 
inable deceptions, delusions, and horrible superstitions, 
which were united with the pure and simple truth, par- 
ticularly amongst the heathen nations, history furnishes 
us with the most frightful examples. Our adorable Re- 
deemer, Jesus Christ, then appeared, and became an uni- 
versal blessing to mankind. He and his disciples taught 
divine truth in its purity, and every where strove against 
superstition and the errors of Jews and heathens, but they 
did not oppose the belief in presentiments, visions, and 
apparitions ; on the contrary, they relate, that they had 
themselves experienced things of a similar nature. I do 
not think I need stop here to quote any instances of this^ 
as they will naturally occur to my readers. 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 11 

The idea which the universal christian church formed, 
from the very commencement, of presentiments, visions, 
and apparitions, was principally founded upon the fol- 
lowing view of the subject. They believed generallyjin 
an invisible world of spirits, which was divided into three 
different regions : heaven, or the place of blessedness — 
hell, or the place of torment — and then a third place, 
which the Bible calls " Hades," or the receptacle of the 
dead, in which those souls, which were not ripe for 
either destination, are fully made meet for that, to which 
they have most adapted themselves in this life.* But all 
these regions had likewise their inhabitants : heaven, 
which they imagined to be on high, above the stars, was 
the seat of the supreme majesty of God, and its citizens 
were the hosts of angels and blessed spirits : hell was 
situated in the inward concavity of the earth, whither 
Satan, together with his angels, will be finally banished, 
when he has finished his part upon earth, and it will then 
be also the abode of the accursed of mankind. The idea 
they formed of the system of the universe was the fol- 
lowing. 

They believed that the earth was the principal ob- 
ject of material nature ; that the sun and every radiant 
star, which they regarded as nothing else than rarefied 
bodies of light, existed for the earth's sake, and all of 

* For a full explanation of this subject, see note 5. 



12 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

these together for man's sake. To the stars they ascribed 
a great influence on the earth and its inhabitants ; and 
they regarded them as the instruments by which God 
governed physical and moral nature. According to their 
ideas, nature stood in the centre of the Universe and all 
heaven with all its majesty, was obliged to revolve round 
the earth in twenty-four hours. 

With respect to the invisible world, they believed 
that Satan with his angels resided in the air, and had a 
great and mighty influence over mankind ; but also that 
the holy angels were with and about the human race, 
that they protected them, and had also influence over 
them ; that departed souls, according to their peculiar 
circumstances, might again appear, was with them be- 
yond a doubt. 

The Bible has nothing to object to the views adopted 
by the universal christian church, and the Aristotelian 
and Platonic philosophy of the schools, which then uni- 
versally governed the reason of the learned, was also 
perfectly contented with it.* And if here and there a 
clear-sighted individual, who thought for himself, found 
this or that point impossible, or some fervent gnostic 
on the other side, introduced still more impossibilities 
into this system of the universe and of spirits, it occa- 
* See note 2. 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 13 

sioned a paper war and a charge of heresy, but the 
principal ideas still continued to stand firmly and canoni- 
cally in both churches, the eastern Greek, and the west- 
ern Latin or Romish, and with them, presentiments, 
visions, and apparitions, which they all ascribed to the 
Spirit of God, to angels, and also to departed souls. 

But ere long, particularly after the age of Constan- 
tine the Great, the clergy gradually forgot Christ's 
golden precept, " Let the greatest amongst you be as 
the least, and he that will bear rule, let him be as a ser- 
vant ; " in opposition to this, they assumed increasing 
honors, and even strove for the universal government of 
the world. But having no worldly weapons, or at least 
very feeble ones, they forged themselves spiritual arms, 
and the invisible world presented them an inexhaustible 
armory : they assumed power even over evil spirits, and 
could cast them out ; for when any one was afflicted with 
a disorder of a complicated nature, which the physicians 
could not explain, it was supposed he was possessed of 
the Devil, and the priest must be sent for to cast him out. 
There were also witches and wizards, whom none could 
restrain, and whose influence none could withstand but 
the priests. Hades, which had been hitherto in itself, an 
abode devoid of suffering, unless the individual brought 
anguish and torment in his own bosom into it, was now 
transformed into a fiery furnace, in which every departed 



14 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

soul, that had not rendered itself worthy of canonization, 
(to which often nothing more was requisite, than a mere 
blind obedience, an outward self-righteousness, and a 
persecuting of heretics,) must of necessity be purified, 
like gold and silver. Now this was a particularly potent 
means of bringing even the mightiest monarchs, with all 
their hosts, and every christian nation into obedience to 
the clergy ; for the latter asserted, and it was universally 
believed, that they really had the keys of purgatory, and 
that by prayers and masses for the dead, for which they 
took care to be well paid, they were able to deliver the 
poor soul from it, and to assist it in the attainment of the 
bliss of heaven. 

These and many other additional motives, made it 
a matter of importance to the clergy, invariably to treat 
the powerful influence of the invisible world upon man- 
kind, as one of the most important points of faith. And 
here we arrive at the principal source of the most sense- 
less and revolting superstition, which certainly deserves 
to be rooted out. But this is not accomplished by re- 
fusing to give credence to undeniable facts, but by stating 
the sacred truth in its genuine purity. 

The christian system of the spiritual and material 
world described above, stood for fifteen-hundred years 
unshaken. All at once, the monk Copernicus stood 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 15 

forth! With a mighty hand, he pushed away the globe 
from the centre of creation, fixed the sun in its place, and 
bade the former make the circuit of the latter in a year, 
and revolve upon its own axis in twenty-four hours. — 
By this fortunate discovery, much that was incompre- 
hensible became intelligible, and much that was inexplic- 
able, demonstrable. The pope and the clergy were 
struck with amazement at it ; they threatened curse and 
excommunication, but Copernicus had already made his 
escape from them — the earth was now in motion, and no 
anathema was able to arrest its progress. The conse- 
quences of the Copernican system have proved, that the 
censure and apprehension of the Romish clergy was well- 
founded ; for now, every fixed star was by degrees re- 
garded as a sun, all of which were probably accompanied 
by their planets, and consequently the earth became a 
very inconsiderable point in the immense and boundless 
universe. But whether this system of the world, so gen- 
erally received, be not still susceptible of some modifica- 
tion, will be seen in the subsequent part of this work. 

During this period, Luther and his confederates had 
also accomplished a mighty revolution in religion, with 
respect to the articles of faith of the christian church. — 
The Holy Scriptures again became the sole criterion of 
faith and conduct, and the clergy of the Protestant church 
renounced all claim to the government of the invisible 



16 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

world : they extinguished the flames of purgatory, and 
enlarged the bounds of hell by adding Hades to it ; no mid- 
dle state or place of purification was any longer believed 
in, but every departed soul entered immediately upon 
the place of its destination, either heaven or hell. I 
shall shew in its proper place, that they carried this point 
too far : it was wrong to make a purgatory of Hades, but 
it was also going too far to do away with it together with 
purgatory. The Protestant clergy, as such, troubled 
themselves, in other respects, little about the Copernican 
system ; it was regarded as a subject, which could have 
little influence upon the doctrines of the christian faith ; 
but they were mistaken ; for succeeding astronomers in- 
vestigated this system still further, and found that it 
every where stood the test. At length those great men, 
Des Cartes, Newton, and others appeared, who by their 
inventions and discoveries, definitely decided the point, 
so that the Copernican system is now established beyond 
all contradiction, in the opinion of the learned, particu- 
larly because all the calculations on the course of the 
stars, made according to this system, are found to be 
most correct. 

The pope and his consistory probably only fore- 
boded that this Copernican system of the universe might 
be injurious to the christian faith ; but it was now grad- 
ually evident, that they had not been deceived. The 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 17 

following ideas now necessarily occurred to the consistent 
reasoner. " Earth, with its inhabitants, cannot possibly 
be the chief object of creation : it is only an inconsider- 
able little planet, a point in the immense universe : the 
other splendid and capacious heavenly bodies, must have 
much more value in the eyes of the Creator, and their 
inhabitants must likewise possess many advantages over 
the human race. Can it therefore be, that the Son of 
God, the LOGOS, by whom the universe was created, 
took upon himself human nature, in this remote and in- 
considerable corner of creation, and ennobled and eleva- 
ted it to the throne of all worlds ? The whole invisible 
world must therefore now make, with the earth, the an- 
nual circuit round the sun, &c." 

I entreat my readers not to let themselves be misled 
by these specious arguments. I will point out to them 
in the sequel, an immutable basis, which is in accordance 
with nature, reason, and the bible, and on which their 
faith may rest unshaken, until at length we all attain 
to sight. 

The clergy either gave themselves no concern about 
all this, or sought to combine it, as well as they could, 
with the doctrines of the church. The Roman Catholic 
hierarchy continued their dominion over the invisible world 
and the Protestant took no notice of it. Presentiments 



18 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

visions, and apparitions were regarded either as a decep- 
tion, delusion, and imagination ; or where the facts could 
not be denied, as the work of Satan and his angels. By 
their decree, that the pious were immediately, after death, 
received into heaven, and the impious plunged into hell, 
the gate was closed against the return of departed spirits 
to this world. 

The new mechanic system of the universe had given 
human reason wide admission to further investigation, 
and with its mechanic laws of nature, it now ventured 
into the world of spirits ; and here originated the belief 
in the iron necessity of fate, that monstrous parent of a]l 
infidelity, free-thinking, and in a word, of the falling 
away from the genuine religion of Christ, and of dread- 
ful antichristianism. The maxim was now once for all 
established, that nothing existed in the whole of created 
nature, but matter and power. Matter was investigated 
in natural philosophy, by all sorts of experiments, and 
chemistry, in particular, was very prolific in this way. 
By this means, some of the noblest, and, in human life, 
the most useful discoveries were made, so that those 
who were engaged in these pursuits, are deserving of 
eternal thanks. But as no other powers were discovered 
by these investigations, than such as are peculiar to 
matter ; or if the influence of secret powers was observed, 
it was immediately concluded they were also mate- 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REEUTED. 19 

rial, only not yet discovered, and that on making further 
progress, the traces of them would also be found, which 
was generally the case ; — it was irreversibly established, 
that there were no other powers than such as were mate- 
rial. The following syllogism now fully confirmed this 
proposition : all the powers of matter, including those 
of the body, act also according to eternal and immutable 
laws : the whole universe consists of matter and its pow- 
ers ; consequently every event, which occurs in the uni- 
verse, takes place according to eternal and unchangeable 
laws. 

From hence proceeded another equally appalling 
and pregnant conclusion. If every event in the universe 
happens according to eternal and unchangeable laws, 
which are founded in matter, for an infinite variety of 
ends, the world is therefore a machine ; that is, its whole 
organization is mechanical ; but as every extraneous 
impetus given to a machine, disturbs its progress to- 
wards the end designed, no beings can therefore exist, 
who exercise influence on the material world : if such 
beings were necessary for the government of the world, 
and their co-operation in nature, the whole universe 
would be a very, imperfect machine, and the supremely 
perfect architect of all worlds, could not have thus 
created it. 



20 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

But what was to become of man, with his reason- 
able soul ? At first they went carefully to work upon 
this point ; for the men who were the authors of the 
mechanical system above mentioned, at least, those of 
the greatest consideration amongst them, certainly had 
not the intention of doing an injury to religion, nor did 
they remotely foresee that their system would serve for its 
grave. Hence, though they also regarded man as a wheel in 
the great machine of the universe, yet they still con- 
tended for the freedom of his will ; consequently also for 
liberty of action, under the regulation of reason. The con- 
tradiction between liberty of action, and the eternal, 
immutable laws of nature, they thought to have obviated 
by maintaining, that God, before the foundation of the 
world, had, as it were, formed a plan, according to 
which, he would create and regulate this best of ail pos- 
sible worlds. He then received the human race into this 
world, who were to consist of purely rational and freely 
operative beings. Now as he, being an omniscient God, 
foresaw what every man and every being that was free 
to act, would choose and do, he so formed his plan, that 
every good and evil action fitted into it, and all at length 
must necessarily lead to the great end of all creation. 

The idea of such a plan, and the regulation with 
respect to the influence of mankind, who were free to 
act, was called the system of the best of worlds. A great 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 21 

number of thinking men, and honest divines contented 
themselves with this fig-leaf apron, and there let the 
matter rest ; but there were others, who discovered its 
nakedness ; for they said, " If God has interwoven the 
free actions of men into the eternal and necessary laws 
of nature, they must therefore themselves be infallibly 
unchangeable, and consequently take place of necessity, 
and the idea of human liberty is a deception." 

This result naturally follows from the principle of 
the whole : if the former propositions were correct, the 
latter must be so too. But this is such a horrible thought, 
that the friend of God and man shudders through all his 
frame at the mere idea of it ; for in this case, all the sins 
and crimes from the fall of Adam to the last sinner of 
mankind are acceptable to God ; for he has adopted them 
into the plan of the best of worlds ; — at least they were 
necessary for the Creator's purpose, because he did not 
avoid them, and is it possible to imagine any thing more 
dreadful ? Therefore when a person commits even the 
greatest crime, he may think, this action is part of the 
plan of the best of worlds, otherwise God would not 
have allowed me to commit it ; and as he has thus in- 
cluded it in his plan, he cannot punish me for it." All 
the just and logical inferences, which may be deduced 
from these axioms, are of a nature so infernal, horrible, 
and revolting, that I do not wish even remotely to touch 



22 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

upon them. Here all divine revelation, the bible with 
all its contents, the mission of the Son of God, and the 
whole of his work of redemption ceases. Tliere is, at 
once, an end to all religion : if there be a God, we have 
nothing to do with him, and even were he himself the 
all-operating power of nature, it would be of no avail, 
because he governs all things according to the eternal 
and unchangeable laws of nature, in which no alteration 
can ever be made. 

See, my dear friends, it is in this way, that the so 
much extolled march of intellect leads inevitably to 
destruction, and carries along with it multitudes of the 
human race. This is likewise the non-religion of the 
"Man of sin," over which he puts a religious mask. 

The gre at Leibnitz was the inventor of the best of 
worlds ; — he probably did not remotely foresee, that 
such consequences would arise from it ; an English 
philosopher however, directed his attention to it. He 
therefore sat down, and wrote his " Theodice," a mas- 
terpiece of acuteness, and profound thought ; but in the 
end, it proves nothing further, than that even the greatest 
attainments are unable to defend a bad cause. 

I know very well, that not all of those, who believe in 
the system of materialism, are sunk so low as the horrible 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 23 

ideas above mentioned : there are an infinite number of 
descending gradationsinit,on which multitudes of ration- 
alists stand ; but that all these gradations lead downwards 
to eternal perdition, because they inevitably tend to this 
infernal irreligion, is undeniable. He that is a consistent 
reasoner, and is become a convert to materialism, cannot 
do otherwise ; his reason infallibly leads him to this 
appalling result ; consequently this mechanical system 
is and must be totally false, and in the following pages, 
I will incontrovertibly shew that it is so. 

Think not my dear readers, that I am wandering 
too far from the subject. In order to found my theory 
of the pneumatology on an immutable basis, I must 
necessarily pursue this path, and first of all show the 
mighty objections that are raised against it. 

If the world be a machine, which by its concreated 
powers, pursues its course, alone, without any other as- 
sistance ; — if even God himself do not co-operate with 
it : neither good nor evil angels can have any influence 
upon it. Rationalists take this proposition for granted ; 
according to their assertions also, there are no such 
beings, and if there were, they concern us as little, as 
the inhabitants of any of the planets ; what the Bible 
says of them is metaphorical, 



24 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

O my God, what frozen and comfortless sophistry 
is this ! It knows nothing of any Father in heaven, nor 
of a Redeemer : is it then a wonder, that the unhappy 
being that has espoused such a system, should lay vio- 
lent hands upon himself ? 

During the time when these great philosophers 
were hatching this horrible basilisk, they left presenti- 
ments, visions, and apparitions undisturbed, but the 
common people continued to believe them firmly ; — 
dreams were interpreted, and haunted places abounded ; 
ghosts and hobgoblins were seen. The ignis fatuus 
belonged also to the class of terrific spiritual beings, and 
witchcraft abounded every where. There is no doubt, 
that this wild superstition produced dreadful results in 
several places, but still, the people believed in God, and 
in Jesus the Saviour of the world ; they prayed in faith 
and confidence ; they feared hell and hoped for heaven. 
Now if these superstitious notions and this pious faith, 
be laid in the one scale of truth, and the present exist- 
ing infidelity in the other, it will soon be seen which 
weighs the heaviest. The morals of those times compared 
with the morals of the present day, loudly testify, 
that the Abbe Jerusalem was in the right, when he said, 
" Rather give us the Spanish Inquisition, than predo- 
minating infidelity." — May God preserve us from both 
of them ! 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 25 

The consequences of a gloomy superstition were 
however more strikingly apparent than those of the sys- 
tem of materialism. It was not even remotely imagined, 
that it infallibly led to the infernal abyss ; but on the 
contrary, it was hoped and believed, that it would set 
religion forth in its highest purity. Superstition was 
therefore attacked with the weapons which philosophy 
furnished ; it was cast down from the throne, but with 
it also the blissful and tranquilizing faith of the christian: 
the latter of course was not done intentionally. 

Balthazar Becker in Holland, and Thomasius in 
Germany, have immortalized their names by the over- 
throw of superstition. 

It is impossible for me to discover that sacred truth, 
which treads the middle path, and overthrow superstition 
and infidelity, unless I exhibit and then destroy the 
basis on which all the antagonists of superstition, and 
of the true faith in conjunction with it, have erected and 
still erect their batteries. 

The idea of the best of worlds had made it obvious, 
that the physical and moral world, was governed merely 
and solely by its own con created powers, and that nei- 
ther God, nor good nor evil angels, nor spirits had any 
influence over it. But they went still further : they 



26 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

proved also, as they thought, incontestibly, that accord- 
ing to the meaning of the Bible, there were no spirits, 
and no good or evil angels. The existence of a God 
was still believed, but only from courtesy ; yes, there 
were some even so ill-bred as to deny it ; this was how- 
ever a consistent inference ; for if God has no influence 
over the world, we have consequently nothing to do 
with him, and it is very immaterial to us, whether there 
be a God or not ; for the world may have existed from 
all eternity, and have been its own God ! See, my dear 
readers, to what monstrous ideas human reason leads, 
when left to itself! 

The demonstration, that there were neither good 
nor evil angels, was founded on the following princi- 
ples : first, God and nature creates nothing superfluous. 
Now as the nature of the whole visible world is endowed 
with its proper powers, it requires no other co-operating 
being ; and if it needed such a one, it would be no per- 
fect work : but God can create nothing imperfect ; he 
must therefore have created the world in the best and 
most perfect manner. 

• And secondly, if besides God, there are other ra- 
tional beings, they belong to another world, and do not 
concern us. Now as these beings cannot be equal with 
God, but must be finite and limited, they are therefore 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 27 

liable to errors and mistakes, and thus they may he 
neither perfectly good, nor perfectly evil. There are 
consequently no beings that are thoroughly good or 
thoroughly evil. 

But man himself is the greatest enigma; — the think- 
ing being within him, with all its concreated and inhe- 
rent faculties, cannot be defined as proceeding from the 
powers of matter. Consciousness, judgement, under- 
standing, reason, memory, imagination, &c. can never be 
produced by any possible combination ©f these powers. 

Here our materialists find it difficult to bring this 
unknown " something" into unison with matter and 
power. Leibnitz's " principles of indivisibility," and his 
" predetermined harmony" were completely rejected as 
untenable. There was therefore no other expedient left, 
than to take up the opinion, either that the soul of man 
was formed from the powers of nature, by the incom- 
prehensibly wonderful structure of the brain, and was 
therefore still a result of material nature and its powers, 
and also that at death it ceased to be ; or else it was 
maintained, that the soul is an immaterial self-existent 
being that can only act or have any influence on exter- 
nal objects, through the medium of the body, with which 
it is united. 



28 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED, 

This is the most general opinion amongst the ra- 
tionalists of the present day ; and from hence they draw 
the following inferences : 

The spirit of man is not matter ; it can therefore 
have no powers that are ascribed to matter ; it cannot 
occupy space, nor act upon other bodies out of its own ; 
in a disembodied state, it is no longer obvious to the 
senses ; it is therefore impossible for it to appear after 
death ; and if the soul be really immortal, it retains 
nothing after death but a faint consciousness of its pre- 
existence, or recollection, until either at the resurrection, 
or by some still unknown process in the best of worlds, 
it regains a body, and thus begins to act anew ; but whe- 
ther it will then be able to remember its past life is 
uncertain, and scarcely probable ; because it would in 
no case be in possession of its former organs, but of such 
as were totally different. 

What melancholy ideas ! How unhappy would 
mankind be if they were true ! But, God be praised, 
they are not ! and this I shall now, I trust, be able in- 
contestibly to prove. I therefore entreat the reader's 
closest attention and most serious reflection ; and who- 
ever then thinks himself able to refute me, let him do 
it : I will discuss the matter with him, only let it be 
done in an amicable and candid manner. 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 29 

If the material world be so, as it presents itself to 
our senses ; — if God view it in the same light, then is 
the system of universal materialism, with all its dreadful 
consequences immutably true ; for the whole demonstra- 
tion is logically just ; it merely depends upon the cor- 
rectness of the premises ; but that they are false, I will 
and am able to prove. 

If our eyes, our ears, and in a word, all the organs 
of our senses, together with the brain and the nerves 
where otherwise formed and organized, the whole visible 
world would appear to us completely different to what 
it does at present. Reflect seriously and maturely upon 
this proposition, and you wall find it true. If the eye 
were otherwise organized, we should be susceptible of 
light, colours, forms, figures, proximity and distance, 
all in an entirely different manner. Only think for a 
moment of magnifying glasses and telescopes : the for- 
mer makes every tiling larger ; the latter, every thing 
nearer. Now if our eyes were formed in a similar man- 
ner to these glasses, every thing would be larger and 
nearer than it now is. By means of glasses, which are 
cut and polished in various ways, light and colours, and 
every form changes its appearance : now supposing that 
the eyes of all men were thus organized, all nature would 
receive a different form. Apply this to all the human 
senses and what will be the result ? certainly nothing 



30 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND RE1UTED. 

else than quite a different world, and consequently all 
our ideas and conclusions would be wholly different. 

The human senses only perceive the surface of 
, things in space and time ; that is, in extension and suc- 
cession : no created spirit penetrates into their inward 
nature, except the Creator alone that made them. We 
are limited beings ; hence all our conceptions are also 
limited. We cannot imagine to ourselves two things, 
much less a greater number, at the same time ; we 
must therefore be so organized, that all things appear to 
us separately ; that is, in space; and in succession, that 
is, in time. Time and space have therefore their origin 
merely in our own souls ; out of us, in the being of na- 
ture itself, neither of them have any existence. Now as 
every movement in the whole creation occurs in time 
and space, without both of which no motion can possibly 
take place, therefore all the movements in the whole cre- 
ation, are merely forms of ideas in our souls, which do 
not take place in nature : consequently all the systems 
of the universe, even including the Copernican, are 
merely ideal forms. The creation in itself being very 
different. 

God, the almighty Creator, views the universe as it 
is in reality and truth; and in fact, He alone; for all 
created beings are limited, and can therefore only form 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 31 

a bounded idea of the universe, consequently not so as 
it is in reality ; if they venture to go beyond the limits 
assigned them : they fall into monstrous contradictions 
and error. ' 

God has created us men in such a manner, and so 
organized us as we are. It is therefore his will, that we 
figure to ourselves the universe in the manner that we 
do : — for us, this idea of it, is really the true one ; and 
all that we perceive through the senses, is not a vain 
imagination, but really founded on the nature of things ; 
our conviction is therefore not ideal ; but that we do 
not view things as they really are, that is, as God 
regards them, is an eternal and incontestible truth, 

All ideas which are founded upon time and space 
are limited ; now as the eternal, infinite, and incompre- 
hensible God knows no bounds, he does not regard the 
world in time and space ; and as his view of it is alone 
the true one, the world is likewise not in time and space. 
Further, as that, which we call body and matter, occupies 
space and continues through time : and as objects have 
each their separate motion in space, act upon each other 
by their powers, &c. and as time and space do not really 
exist in the creation itself, but are only forms of ideas : 
so that which we call matter, power, and reciprocal iniiu- 



32 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

ence is mere human idea ; in reality, every thing is 
otherwise. * 

We will call that part of creation, which is obvious 
to the senses, the visible world ; within this visible 
world, we may and we ought to reason and judge, ac- 
cording to the laws of time and space, and the mutual 
influence of objects upon each other; here we may, and 
we ought to esteem and prize the Copernican system ; 
but as soon as we transfer it to the world of truth, and 
seek to bring it into connexion with the influence of God 
upon the visible world, we judge like a blind man does 
of colours, and fall into absurdities. Let the Astrono- 
mer quietly continue to make use of it as a mathematical 
axiom, and to enlarge the visible creation by his inven- 
tions and discoveries ; the ancient biblical representation, 
and the idea, which mankind have formed of the uni- 
verse from the earliest age, that the earth stood in the 
centre, and that the whole firmament moved round the 
earth, as also that this is the most important part of 
creation, is to us, true and satisfactory. For as all motion 
can only take place in time and space, and as time and 
space have no existence in the province of truth, so like- 
wise no motion exists there, but merely in our idea, and 

* I can easily suppose that my readers from all that has 
been said, will be startled, and think, what will be the end 
of it ? only read quietly and attentively further, and it will be 
apparent. 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 33 

therefore the firmament may just as well revolve in twen- 
ty-four hours round the earth, as the earth round the sun. 
The Copernican system is founded upon the real exist- 
ence of time, space, and motion in each ; but as all three 
are not to be found in the realm of truth, the Copernican 
system is nothing more than an easier method of solving 
a difficult question. The ancient system of the universe, 
in which the earth, with mankind, is made the chief object 
of creation, and in which every thing else revolves around 
them, is the most natural and obvious idea to all men : 
it is also the most easily united with the representations 
of that world which is above the senses, and is therefore 
the truest system for us ; whilst the Copernican, on the 
contrary, has arisen from rational inferences, founded on 
the reality of time and space, and is, therefore, not true. 

Every reasonable man, who is in any measure capa- 
ble of calm and impartial reflection, must and will find 
all that has been hitherto advanced, undeniably true : 
and should here and there, any one have any doubt or 
objection still, let him state it : I will solve every doubt, 
and answer every objection. 

Now what is the mechanic philosophical system, 
with reference to the visible world ? It is the only excel- 
lent means, which God has granted us, of knowing human 
truth, or what is true for us. But as soon as we venture 

D 



5-i- MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

with it beyond the bounds of the visible world, and seek, 
by it, to judge of that which is invisible, and even of 
God himself: we fall into shocking contradictions, and 
it is these that form the naming sword of the cherub, 
waving in every direction, which keeps us back from 
the gates of paradise. But if we seek to advance still 
further, and, led on by this mechanical system, either 
deny every thing that is not perceptible to the senses, 
and consequently does not belong to the visible world ; 
or judge, even of God himself, according to the rules of 
things that are seen, and lay this as established and 
experimental truth; for the foundation by which to re- 
gulate our life and conduct, we shall commit a sin, which, 
according to our Bible, drew after it the fail of Satan : 
for, by so doing, we make our reason the source of truth, 
and consequently a God. Now, from all that has been 
said, the following proposition justly and naturally 
results. 

God does not live and think in time and space ; with 
him, there is neither past nor future ; consequently, there 
can be no question of any plan or concatenation of free 
' actions with fixed and immutable laws ; the whole idea, 
therefore, of the best of worlds, is a childish conception, 
which can have no place in the province of truth ; but 
as we must necessarily form an idea on this subject, we 
receive, in faith, the biblical represention of the eternal. 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 35 

counsel of God, and neither add nor take away any thing 
from it. The Holy Scriptures conform themselves, every 
where to human conception, but still, in such a manner, 
as is most becoming God and truth, and most productive 
of benefit to man. 

The visible creation, consists of bodies that dre un- 
known to us. What we call matter and pow T er, are ideas 
peculiar to ourselves, which certainly have their foun- 
dation in those bodies, but which are in themselves, by 
rio means, so constituted, as we imagine them to be in 
time and space. Therefore, when we compare them with 
machines, on which no extraneous influence may operate, 
we greatly err ; for our visible world is closely united to 
the invisible world : both mutually act upon each other ; 
the proof of this lies in our own natures. Our bodies 
belong to the visible, and our spirits to the invisible 
world ; we do not feel with our senses, the substance of 
our spirits, but we feel their influence upon our bodies. 
Now as we find in our own beings, that a rational spirit 
can act upon matter, and does so without ceasing, how 
can any one venture to deny the influence of invisible 
beings, angels and spirits, on the visible world ? There 
is even in our visible world, a most powerful, omni- 
present body, a body, without which, the whole visible 
world could not exist, and would be to us a cypher, I 



36 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

mean, light; we regard it as matter, are able also In 
various instances to treat it as such, and it is likewise 
found in our ideas in time and space ; and yet, it has 
properties, which are completely opposed to the nature 
of all other matter. Consider only the different inter- 
secting rays of all illuminating and illuminated bodies, 
which intersect each other in a million different ways, 
without impeding each other in their direct course. I 
should be glad to see that naturalist, who could satis- 
factorily explain this from the eternal and immutable 
laws of matter. 

Light is the connecting link between the visible and 
invisible world. The transition, from the one to the 
other, is through its medium. 

The whole universe consists entirely of createdbeings, 
each of which, is an expressed and really existing word 
of God. All these beings divide themselves into two 
principal classes ; into thinking, intelligent, and suscep- 
tible spirits, and into an infinite variety of other things, 
which are unknown to us beyond the visible world. 
Spirits, or the kingdom of spirits, again consist of 
various kinds, which always vary from each other, ac- 
cording to their degrees of perfection, but all of which 
associate together, and act upon each other. Into this 



MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 37 

world of spirits, man enters at his death ; and his hap- 
piness or misery, depends upon his having improved his 
time of probation or not. 

Those spirits, or inhabitants of the world of spirits, 
who are, so to speak, on the borders of the visible world, 
and that stand next in connexion to us, are good and 
evil angels, and the souls of deceased men. The Holy 
Scriptures expressly testify that, the former, the good 
and evil angels, have influence over mankind, and over 
the visible world, but without trenching upon the free- 
dom of the will. 

The system of materialism maintains, that the whole 
universe is governed by eternal and immutable laws, 
like clockwork ; consequently, the freedom of the will 
is a mere idea and delusion. Now I have shewn, in the 
preceding pages, that the eternal and immutable laws of 
nature are mere forms of ideas, founded on time and 
space ; but as the latter are merely modes of thinking, 
so are the former ; and, therefore, not only inapplicable 
out of the visible world, but also in direct opposition to 
truth ; for we really and truly feel ourselves free, our 
natures loudly tell us so, and even reason teaches it us, 
because the converse is incompatible with the divine, 
spiritual, and human nature ; and is productive of the 
most frightful results ; and, finally, the Bible maintains 



38 MATERIALISM EXAMINED AND REFUTED. 

it on every page. God governs the world, throcigh every 
class of rational free agents. His Spirit inclines the will 
of every spirit, by representing to it what is suitable. 
To all of them he gives laws, which are the foundation 
of eternal joy and blessedness ; but he leaves them the 
free choice, whether to obey them or not. Those that 
do not obey them, are evil beings, whom he also leaves 
at liberty ; but his infinite .wisdom and eternal love, 
knows how gradually to overrule the consequences of 
evil actions, in such a manner, as eventually to produce 
salvation and blessing from them. These ideas develope 
likewise a part of the great mystery of redemption by 
Christ : and here I could annex a long and important 
dissertation on the fall of angels and men, and on the 
return of lost man to the Father, by means of the true 
Christian religion ; but it would lead me too far from 
my subject, I therefore take up my staff and proceed 
further. 



39 



CHAP. II. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

I now descend again from that height, where it is 
impossible for the human soul to continue long, without 
becoming giddy. But I was obliged to venture this 
lofty flight, in order to precipitate that monstrous idol, 
Materialism, from the throne, and place upon it theo- 
cratical liberty. 

From all that I have hitherto maintained, proved, 
and demonstrated, the reader must not infer more than 
is necessary to establish true ana genuine faith, and to 
overthrow superstition. Such as the world appears to 
our senses, such is it also to us in reality ; and as long 
as we continue within the bounds of the material world, 
the system of mechanical philosophy is a law to us, but 
beyond these bounds, it must, by no means, be considered 
as such. 

The Bible affirms, that good and evil angels or 
spirits act powerfully upon us, and upon the visible 
world, and neither reason nor nature have any thing 



40 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

against it ; on the contrary, the attentive observer occa- 
sionally finds undeniable traces of such influence, as will 
be seen in the sequel. But here I must, immediately 
on the outset, premise an important warning. 

In our present state, our corporeal and physical 
nature is ordered and organized solely with reference to 
the visible world. In our natural state, with the ex- 
ception of our own souls, we perceive nothing of the 
world of spirits ; and as our reason likewise can only 
found its conclusions on the evidence of the senses, it 
knows equally as little out of itself, and from its own 
sources, of an invisible world and its operations. It is 
only divine revelation, and individual experience for a 
length of time, which teach us, that beings from the 
invisible world, and God himself also, have manifested 
themselves to the senses, and act upon our visible world. 

From these observations, it is clearly evident, that 
nature and reason are by no means referred to the in- 
visible world and its influence, and that the Holy 
Scriptures, in all the testimonies which they give of this 
influence, point us solely and exclusively to the divine 
government, and its holy and all-directing providence. 
The angels are all of them ministering spirits, sent forth 
to minister to those that are the heirs of salvation, 
Heb. i. 14, and also in other places to the same effect ; 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 41 

but we no where find, even the slightest hint, that we 
ought to apply to them in any manner, or pay attention 
to them: much less ought presumption, curiosity, and 
a desire to know the future, excite us to enter into con- 
nexion with the world of spirits ; this is even forbidden, 
like divination and witchcraft. He, therefore, that seeks 
presentiments, visions, and apparitions, sins greatly. 
They are exceptions from the rule, and to them we are 
not referred ; however, they are, and will ever be re- 
markable, and deserving of the most faithful, thorough, 
and impartial investigation. The sequel will shew the 
reason of this. 

As soon as the system of materialism is proved to 
be false, and only of value in the visible world, being 
totally incompatible with the world of spirits, because 
the former is only founded on time and space, but the 
latter by no means : so the reciprocal operation of two 
things, which are remote from each other as to time and 
space, is likewise impossible in the material world, but 
in the spiritual world, not only possible, but natural. 

To forebode something, signifies the apprehension 
of something remote, either in time or space, so that 
the individual is more or less obscurely conscious of it. 
When I say I forebode something, I infer from reason- 
able grounds, that some particular thing will occur, or 



42 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

that it is taking place at a distance ; by the words, I 
have a foreboding or presentiment of something : 1 ex- 
press the feeling of the influence of some being unknown 
to me, that designs to inform me of something that has 
taken place at a distance, or something future, that is 
approaching. But in order to shed light upon this ob- 
scure subject, let us examine human nature a little more 
closely. 

The idea of human nature, that had previously 
generally prevailed, consisted in this : man was regarded 
as a being constituted of body and soul ; the body was 
considered as a very artificially organized machine, 
which was set in motion and operation by the soul. 
This idea is also quite correct, according to the^iaws of 
the material world, and the mechanical system which 
prevails in it; we cannot, and we ought not, to regard 
our bodies in any other light. 

The soul was denominated spirit ; of which how- 
ever nothing further was known, than that its operation 
was felt : and this is also perfectly correct, for its sub- 
stance does not belong to the material, but to the 
spiritual world, and cannot therefore be felt by us in 
our present state: but how these extremely different 
substances, spirit and body, could reciprocally act upon 
each other, no one knew. Elucidations were hazarded, 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 43 

but contradictions opposed themselves ; faith was exer- 
cised, and reason taken captive ; and this was the surest 
way under those circumstances; but now the path is 
opened out to us, so that at least we are come much 
nearer the truth. 

The science of Animal Magnetism, which had oc- 
casionally manifested itself from the earliest ages, and 
was brought into a system by Messmer, between the 
years 1770 and 1780, but which, at the very "outset, 
met with the most profound contempt, in consequence 
of the most extravagant charlatanry, and the most 
shocking abuse which was made of it, was now investi- 
gated by very able, impartial, and candid naturalists — 
by men who really cannot be charged with the weakness 
of enthusiasm. 

Those who are the best known to me, are the late 
counsellor of state, Bockmann, here in Carlsruhe, and 
my never-to-be-forgotten friend, Doctor Wienholt, sur- 
geon, of Bremen, who is likewise now no more. Bock- 
mann, was also my warm friend, and communicated many 
observations to me with his own lips. To these must 
be added another credible witness, Doctor Gmelin, of 
Heilbron : this very learned, and any thing else than 
fantastic or. enthusiastic individual, has given to the 
public his very striking experiments in several volumes. 



44 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

The late Doctor Wienholt, had also collected his highly 
interesting animal-magnetic practice of twenty years, into 
several volumes, of which he had published one or two 
of the first, when he was overtaken by death, Scherf, 
the celebrated physician to the Prince of Detmold, 
subsequently completed the publication of this work. 
Besides these, I have met with many professional, and 
non-professional men, in my various journies, for whose 
incorruptible integrity, penetration, and strong attach- 
ment to the truth, I can vouch, from whom I have 
learned things still more mysterious, and such as are in 
the highest degree remarkable, but which are not of a 
nature to be made public. 

To avoid all unnecessary prolixity, I will only here 
adduce such results of animal magnetism, as are certain, 
and beyond a doubt ; but if this be not sufficient for the 
reader, let him attentively peruse the works above 
mentioned, and he will assuredly be convinced. But 
before I proceed further, I must give all my readers a 
serious caution : Animal Magnetism is a very dangerous 
thing. When an intelligent physician employs it for 
the cure of certain diseases, there is no objection to it ; 
but as soon as it is applied to discover mysteries, to 
which we are not directed in this life, the individual 
commits the sin of sorcery — an insult to the majesty of 
heaven. 



REMARKS UPON:. THE NATURE OE MAN. 45 

When a person of either sex is gently stroked, 
according to certain rules, by another person of either 
sex, over his clothes, (for it is not necessary to undress,) 
and when this is frequently repeated, many fall into what 
is called the magnetic sleep, (Somnambulism;) some 
earlier, others later, and many not at all. In this state, 
all the senses are at rest ; no noise, no sudden entrance 
of light, no violent shaking can awake them, and the 
body is as it were dead, with the exception of those 
motions, which are necessary to vitality. The inner 
man enters into a more elevated, and very agreeable 
state, which gradually increases, the more frequently 
magnetizing, or stroking, according to certain rules, is 
repeated. The exaltation of the inner man rises in 
many persons to such a height, that they come into 
connexion with the invisible world, and they very fre- 
quently reveal hidden mysteries, and also remarkable 
things, which are taking place at a distance, or will 
shortly happen. 

The following circumstance is very striking, and, 
in fact, astonishing. During this magnetic sleep, the 
individual has not the smallest perception of the visible 
world; he only sees the person who magnetizes him, 
and who stands in rapport with him, not however with 
the visual organs, for they are either convulsively closed, 
or if open, the pupils are as much dilated, as in a com- 



46 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAX. 

plete gutta serena. I have myself held a lighted candle, 
immediately before the eyes of a person in this state. 
bnt the pupils continued extended and immoveable, he 
perceived nothing whatever of the light; but the indi- 
vidual sees the person who magnetizes him, from the 
region of the pit of the heart, in a luminous azure radi- 
ance, that surrounds the whole body like a glory. With 
many, the exaltation of the inner man rises so high, that 
they read, most distinctly, the thoughts and ideas which 
pass in the mind of their magnetizer. 

I have said that these persons, in their elevated 
state, are unconscious of any thing in the visible world, 
except their magnetizer; but as soon as the latter places 
them in rapport with another person, by means of certain 
graspings of the hand, they immediately see this other 
person, in like manner, not with the eyes, but from the 
region of the pit of the heart ; and in the same way, they 
perceive also, distinctly and correctly, what that person 
thinks and imagines at the time. In this state, the 
somnambulist has a most lively recollection of his whole 
life ; all the faculties of his soul are in a state of eleva- 
tion, but as soon as he awakes again, he is totally 
unconscious of it. 

Persons who have long been magnetized, who have 
often been in a state of somnambulism, and have attained 






REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 47 

to a high degree of inward vision, read and recognize 
drawings and pictures which are held before the pit of 
their hearts. That there is no deception in this matter, 
which is incomprehensible according to our common 
mode of thinking, is evident from the repeated experi- 
ments that have been made ; so that there is no longer 
any doubt of the certainty and correctness of the fact. 
Gmelin, Wienholt, Bockmann, &c. have made these ex- 
periments so frequently and so carefully, that the thing 
may be received as an infallible truth, founded in nature, 
and from which correct inferences may be drawn. 

A well known, learned, and estimable divine, saw 
these experiments in Hamburgh ; they appeared to him 
to be so remarkable, and brought to light so much of 
what was before mysterious, that he published a very 
interesting little book on the inward man : but the fol- 
lowing account, which is contained in a Strasburg paper, 
called the Courier of the lower Rhine, number 31, 12th 
of March, 1807, exceeds in remarkableness, all previous 
experiments upon this subject. I will therefore insert 
it verbatim. 

" The history of the somnambulist of Lyons, says 
the Journal de Paris, presents an assemblage of such 
striking facts, that we should be inclined to regard. the 
whole as charlatanry and deceit, if credible eye«witnesses 



48 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

had not vouched for the truth of it. People may smile, 
on hearing it asserted, that an hysterical woman pos- 
sesses the rare gift of revealing future things to those 
with whom she stands in rapport, but such is the case ; 
the wise man believes without precipitation, and doubts 
with caution. M. Petetain, an esteemed physician in 
Lyons, who has long watched the progress of the dis- 
order with which the lady is afflicted, is occupied in 
arranging the facts he has collected, and in preparing 
them for publication. Previous to the appearance of 
M. Petetain's announced work, we will adduce the 
following facts, which are related by a respectable eye- 
witness, Mr. Ballanche. 

" The catalepsy of a lady in Lyons, had been, for 
some time, the subject of conversation in that city; and 
M. Petitain had already published several very surpris- 
ing facts relative to it, when Mr. Ballanche became 
desirous of being an eye-witness of the astonishing 
effects of this disorder. He chose the moment for visit- 
ing this lady, when she was approaching the* crisis. At 
the door he learned that not every one, without distinc- 
tion, was permitted to approach ,the patient's couch, but 
that she must herself grant the permission. She was 
therefore asked if she would receive Mr. Ballanche ; to 

* The time of the magnetic sleep. 



Remarks upon the nature of man. 49 

which she replied in the affirmative : upon this he 
approached the bed, in which he saw a female lying 
motionless, and who was, to all appearance, sunk into a 
profound sleep. He laid his hand, as he had been in- 
structed, on the stomach of the somnambulist, and then 
began his interrogatories. The patient answered them 
all most correctly. This surprising result only excited 
the curiosity of the inquirer. He had with him several 
letters from one of his friends, one of which he took, 
with whose contents he imagined himself best acquainted, 
and laid it, folded up, on the stomach of the patient, 
He then asked the sleeper if she could read the letter ? 
to which she answered, yes. He then inquired if it did 
not mention a certain person, whom he named. She 
denied that it did. M. Ballanche being certain that the 
patient was mistaken, repeated the question, and received 
a similar answer in the negative ; the somnambulist even 
appeared angry at his doubting it, and pushed away the 
hand of the inquirer and the letter from her. M. Bal- 
lanche, struck with this obstinacy, went to one side with 
his letter, read it, and found to his great astonishment, 
that he had net laid the letter which he had intended to 
have selected on the stomach of the sleeper ; and that, 
therefore, the error was on his side. He approached the 
bed a second time, laid that particular letter on the place ; 
and the patient then said, with a certain degree of satis- 
faction, that she read the name which he had previously 
mentioned. 

e 



50 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

This experiment would, doubtless, have satisfied 
most men, but M. Ballanche went still further. He 
had been told that the patient could see through the dark- 
est substances, and read writing and letters through 
walls. He asked if this were really the case, to which 
she replied in the affirmative. He, therefore, took a 
book, went into an adjoining room, held with one hand, 
a leaf of this book against the wall, and with the other, 
took hold of one of those that were present, who, joining 
hands, formed a chain, which reached to the patient, on 
whose stomach the last person laid his hand. The patient 
read the leaves that were held to the wall, which were 
often turned over, and read them without making the 
smallest error. 

This is a faithful and simple relation of what M. 
Ballanche saw. An infinite number of objections may- 
be brought against it, but a hundred thousand substantial 
arguments cannot overthrow one single fact. The lady- 
still lives, is seen by many impartial persons, and was 
long attended by an expert and respectable physician, 
who attests the same. The individuals give their names. 
Who is bold enough still to deny it ?" So far the Stras- 
burg paper. 

This narrative contains nothing that is not con- 
firmed by numberless experiments ; one circumstance 
is, however, remarkable, that the lady in question can 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAK. 51 

read *at a distance, without coming into immediate 
contact, when a line of persons take hold of each other's 
hands, the first of whom lays his hand upon the pit of the 
heart, not of the stomach, which has nothing to do with 
the matter, and the last holds the letter : however, she 
neither reads through the partition, nor through the 
wall, but through the soul of him who holds the book 
or letter. By a similar connexion or chain, electricity, 
or the electric shock, is communicated. All this is still 
obscure, but in the sequel it will become clearer, 

Equally remarkable, and perhaps still more im- 
portant, is the observation, to which all confidence may 
be attached, that somnambulists, when they have at- 
tained to a certain high degree of clearness of vision, 
manifestly and distinctly perceive the thoughts and 
ideas of him with whom they are placed in rapport. 
He, therefore, that intends to magnetize another, should 
be, himself, a person of a pure heart, of piety and integrity. 

Amongst so many experiments of this kind, I will 
only adduce one, which Gmelin relates in his work 
above-mentioned, He states that in the year 1780 he 
went to Carlsruhe, to collect facts relative to magnetism, 
and found what he was in search of. He was told there 
was, at that time, a somnambulist there, whose inward 
vision was so clear, that she could distinctly read what 



52 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

passed in the souls of those with whom she was placed in 
connexion: if he would therefore bring the patients , 
whom he had then under cure, distinctly in succession 
before her, she would tell him what his ideas were. He 
followed this advice, and found the fact was really so : 
she told him distinctly every thing that he imagined. 

Another individual of great integrity, and to whom 
I am much attached, told me that Iris wife had once a 
housekeeper, who had also been magnetised on account 
of illness, and at length, during her magnetic sleep, had 
attained an extraordinary degree of clearness of vision. 
In this state she had communicated remarkable and im- 
portant discoveries concerning the invisible world, which 
were in exact accordance with a work of mine, entitled 
" Scenes from the World of Spirits," although she had 
never seen my book, nor knew, nor could have known of 
its existence. 

She brought intelligence from the invisible world 
respecting certain important personages, enough to make 

learer's ears to tingle. She once said to her master 
in the crisis, " your brother has just expired at Magde- 
burg/' No one knew any thing of his illness, and, 
besides this, Magdeburg was many miles distant. A few 
days after, the news arrived of his death, which exactly 
agreed with the prediction. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 53 

According to our f common conceptions of human 
nature, the fact is astonishing, incomprehensible, and 
most remarkable, that all somnambulists, even the most 
vulgar and uneducated people begin clearly to recognize 
their bodily illness, and even prescribe the most appro- 
priate medicines for themselves, which the physician 
must also make use of, if he wishes to gain his end. 
Even if they do not know the names of the remedies, yet 
they describe their qualities so minutely, that the phy- 
sician can soon ascertain them. In this state also, they 
speak High German, where this is the language of the 
pulpit, and the written tongue.* 

It is also very remarkable, that somnambulists who 
have often been in this state, and at length attain this 
clearness of vision, arise, perform all kinds of work, play 
on an instrument, if they have been taught music, go 
out to walk, &c. without their bodily senses having even 
the smallest perception of the visible world : they are 
then in the state of common sleep-walkers. Thus it 
happened, that while I was at Bremen, in the autumn 
of the year 1798, a young woman came to me to ask 
advice of me respecting her eyes : she was a somnam- 
bulist, and had herself decided upon consulting me in the 

* In most parts of Germany the middle and lower classes 
speak Low German ? which varies considerably from the written 
lansria^e. 



54 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

crisis ; her mother accompanied her, but she awoke in my 
presence, and I was therefore obliged to prescribe the 
appropriate remedies alone, and without her assistance. 

All these incidents, and others still more wonder- 
ful, may be found in the writings of the above-mentioned 
authors. The most eminent physicians, and, generally 
speaking, every learned and rational thinking person, 
who has had the opportunity and the will to examine, 
with precision, the effects of animal magnetism, will attest 
that all that has been now advanced is pure truth, and 
confirm it by their testimony. But how is it that no 
one has hitherto attempted to draw from hence those fer- 
tile inferences, by which the knowledge of human nature 
might be so much increased ? To the best of my know- 
ledge, no one has yet done so. Truly, so long as ma- 
terialism is considered as the only true system, it is 
impossible to comprehend such wonderful things ; but 
according to my system of theocratic liberty, the whole 
is not only comprehensible, but we are also led, by mag- 
netism, to the most important discoveries, which before 
were only mysterious enigmas. I entreat a candid and 
impartial investigation of the following conclusions, 

Every naturalist knows, and it is a generally acknow- 
ledged truth, that there is a certain extremely rarefied 
and active fluid, which fills the whole creation, so far as 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 55 

we are acquainted with it. We will call this fluid rare- 
fied celestial air, or in one word, ether. Newton was 
acquainted with it, and called it Sensorium Dei, the or- 
gan of Divine sensation. Euler believed that the bodies 
of light gave a tremulous motion to this fluid, which ex- 
tended itself till it reached the sight, and thus formed 
the light : which opinion I also regarded, for a long time, 
as the most probable, but on close examination I find it 
impossible. The million different intersections of this 
tremulous motion must necessarily confuse their direc- 
tion. Even the definition of sound, by the progressive 
motion of the atmosphere, is untenable : for if we atten- 
tively observe how many thousand tones, sometimes all 
at once, and at another, following each other in the most 
rapid succession, are distinguished by the ear in a variously 
composed concerto, . each of which tones must therefore 
occasion its appropriate motion in the atmosphere ; I say, 
how can such a material motion be possible, without con- 
fusing itself a hundred, nay, a thousand times ? 

It is also acknowledged, further, that this etherial 
fluid penetrates through the most compact bodies, so that 
it fills all things, and is itself perfectly penetrable ; for if 
it were not so, it could not penetrate through the densest 
bodies. Light, electricity, galvanism, and perhaps also 
the magnetic power of irqn, are very probably nothing else 
than different exhibitions of this one and the same fluid. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN, 



_ 



Now, as this ether, according to our human ideas, 
fills time and space, undeniably acts every where as mat- 
ter, and who knows if it be not the living principle in 
plants and animals ; but, on the other hand, also pos- 
sesses properties, which are diametrically at variance 
with materiality: for instance, its penetrating through 
the most compact bodies, being itself penetrable, causing 
a thousand various alternate operations of the remotest 
bodies upon each other, which the most refined con- 
necting medium could not possibly produce, &c. I there- 
fore conclude, with certainty and firm conviction, that 
this ether, this luminous fluid, is the transition from the 
visible to the invisible world, and the medium between 
both. 

All physicians and scientific men agree also in this, 
that there is, in the brain and nerves of man, a subtle 
fluid or power, from which all motion, life, and sensa- 
tion, and consequently, also, the operations of all the 
five senses proceed ; and this view of the matter is per- 
fectly correct, no man of intelligence denies it ; except 
that one calls this fluid power; another, nervous sensi- 
bility ; and a third, the animal spirits. The ancients 
denominated it Archaeus, and ascribed to every organ of 
the body its peculiar archaeum. That this powerful 
principle in the brain and nerves is nothing else than 
ether, the luminous fluid, the medium betwixt the visi- 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 57 

ble and invisible world, is rendered incontestibly evi- 
dent by all the experiments of animal magnetism, as will 
be subsequently shewn. 

The brain and the nerves of man are filled from 
his birth with this ethereal fluid ; they attract it to them 
from its material side, and make it their own, so that it 
is identified with their internal formation and arrange- 
ment: so far, man has no advantage above the brute. 
But something is now added to man out of the invisible 
world— the rational thinking being : the divine spark 
then unites itself, firmly and indivisibly, on the spi- 
ritual side of this ethereal fluid, with it ; and thus it is 
possible to think how the spirit of man can act upon his 
body, yet still it is not comprehensible ; because the 
beings of the spiritual world, to which our spirits belong, 
are not obvious to sense. 

But in order to speak with greater precision, we 
must divide man into three different parts, mutually 
united to each other. First — The outward mechanical 
body, which has no material preference above the brutes ; 
or, at least, is not essentially different from them : by 
this body, the man is united with the visible world as 
long as he lives. Secondly — The ethereal fluid, which 
is, properly speaking, the corporeal principle of life, 
which the man has in common with the brutes, and 



58 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

which may he called, abstractedly, soul, (anima — ani- 
mans). Thirdly — The immortal spirit of man, which 
is peculiarly created after the image of God: and on this 
account stands in this singular connexion with the mate- 
rial world, in order that it may strive for the re-attain- 
ment of its lost inherent dignity. 

The ethereal fluid and the spirit together, which, in 
eternity, make inseparably one, I will in future call the 
human soul, to distinguish it from the animal soul ; in 
the sequel, all this will be clearer, and become convin- 
cingly certain. 

The human soul is present in every part of its body ; 
it is conscious of itself in every part, according as the 
organs of the body give occasion ; it sees with the eyes, 
hears with the ears, smells with the nose, tastes with 
the tongue and palate, and feels with the whole skin, or 
the whole superficies of the body. All this it has in 
common with the animal soul ; but there is something 
more superadded, which gives it a rank far different and 
more elevated than the brutes : it is an intelligent being 
that is capable of knowing and loving God, and of ripen- 
ing to an angel, but also of becoming a devil. Considered, 
therefore, in this point of view, it is a citizen of the world 
of spirits, and can also be brought into connexion with 
them. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 59 

The human soul is invisible to us in our natural 
state ; but those that are in the magnetic sleep see it 
like an azure radiance, which surrounds the whole body 
to a certain extent, so that every man has around him a 
psychical atmosphere ; hence it is, also, that many who 
are stone blind, can feel near objeets without coming into 
contact with them. What is called magnetizing is also 
performed solely in this atmosphere, by which operation 
the wonderful effects of magnetic sleep are produced. 

The human soul is directed, in the natural state, by 
the nerves, wherever feeling, consciousness, and motion 
are necessary. It appears to have the principal seat in 
the brain ; but by magnetizing, it is more or less de- 
tached from the brain and nerves, and consequently 
becomes, more or less, a free agent; for, as the clear- 
seeing somnambulist does not see with the eyes, but out 
of the region of the pit of the heart, and as this is always 
the case, without exception, it is clear from hence, that 
the human soul of itself can not only see without the aid 
of the body, but also so much clearer than in its fleshly 
prison, nor does it stand in need of our material light ; 
for magnetic sleepers read what is laid on the pit of the 
heart, and the contents of closed letters. Nay, they can 
read at a distance, when the book or writing is separated 
from them by dense and opaque bodies, as soon as that 
which is to be read, is held by a person, with whom the 



60 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

somnambulist stands in psychical contact or connexion, of 
which the above-mentioned Lyonese lady is an instance. 

The human soul, in this state, not only sees but 
also feels every thing more acutely, than in its natural 
waking state, without requiring for this purpose any one 
of the bodily senses ; but it is very remarkable, that it 
is not susceptible of the smallest thing belonging to the 
visible world, except when brought into a psychical 
contact, connexion, or rapport, which is effected when 
another person is magnetically brought into unison with 
the soul of the magnetic sleeper, by certain graspings of 
the hand, so that both touch each other ; the somnam- 
bulist cam then, particularly when he is in a very exalted 
and clear-sighted state, perceive every thing that the per- 
son thinks, suffers, feels, and enjoys, who stands in 
connexion with him. 

Now, as these are all of them acknowledged truths, 
it is astonishing and almost incomprehensible to me, 
how it is possible that so many great and thinking men 
have not deduced from these experiments the most 
weighty and pregnant truths ; for, from hence, just and 
logical inferences may be drawn, which are of the highest 
importance to the science of souls and spirits, and to 
religion likewise. We will pursue our path, and then 
see whither it will lead us. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. Ql 

It is indispensably necessary, that the rational spirit 
of man which is immortal, and proceeded forth from 
God, should have an organ hy which it can act upon 
other beings, and they in return upon it; without this, it 
would have no knowledge of any thing out of itself, and 
would be itself a pure nonentity to every other being. 
Now this organ is ether, which is indestructible by any 
natural power, and is eternal and unchangeable. The 
spirit, during its sensible existence upon earth, forms to 
itself a spiritual luminous body, with which it continues 
eternally united. 

The magnetic facts and experiments above stated 
prove, to a demonstration, the existence of this spiritual 
luminous body, or the human soul : they further prove 
that this human soul has need of its gross and animal 
body, solely with reference to its earthly life, in which 
man must necessarily stand in reciprocal operation with 
the sensible or material world, but that it is able with- 
out it to think and feel, and to act upon others, both 
near and at a distance, in a much more perfect manner, 
and is also more susceptible of suffering and enjoyment. 
This conclusion must unquestionably arise in the mind 
of the impartial observer, when he assembles all the 
various exhibitions which magnetism produces, and then 
calmly and rationally reflects upon them. 



62 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

If the human soul during its existence in its mate- 
rial body, from which it is not entirely detached, be 
capable of such wonderful things ; what will its capability 
be when totally separated from it by death! Let the 
reader reflect upon this. In dying, the person loses his 
consciousness, he falls into a perfect trance or profound 
sleep. As long as the mass of blood is still warm and 
not congealed, all the members of the body continue 
pliant ; and as long as this is the case, the soul remains 
in it ; but as soon as the brain and the nerves lose their 
warmth and become frigid, they can no longer attract the 
ethereal part of the soul, nor retain it any longer ; it 
therefore disengages itself, divests itself of its earthly 
bonds, and awakes. It is now in the state of a clear- 
seeing magnetic sleeper, but being entirely separated 
from the body, its state is much more perfect : it has a 
complete recollection of its earthly existence from begin- 
ning to end ; it remembers those it has left behind, and 
can form to itself a very clear idea of the visible world, 
of which it is now no longer susceptible, whilst on the 
contrary, it is conscious of the invisible world and its ob- 
jects : namely, that part of it to which it belongs, or to 
which it has here adapted itself. The candid inquirer 
will easily find that all this follows logically and justly 
from magnetic experiments, if he be acquainted with 
them, and duly considers them. 






REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 63 

The objection may, and doubtless will be made, 
that it is still not altogether certain that the somnambu- 
list, in a state of clear-sightedness, makes no use what- 
ever of the brain and nerves in the ideas he forms. The 
answer to this is, that he certainly does not use his eyes 
for the purposes of vision, and that he makes just as 
little use of the other organs of sense for the purpose of 
feeling : now, as the brain is' excited merely by the im- 
pressions of the outward senses, it is impossible that this 
can be the case here. However, in the following pages 
facts will be stated, which undeniably confirm my asser- 
tion. 

The somnambulist has no perception of any thing 
in the visible world, with the exception of the souls of 
those individuals that are brought into a corresponding 
connexion, or into rapport with him: through these he 
learns what passes in the visible world. The soul after, 
death, enters into connexion with those that bear the 
greatest affinity to its own nature : if it enter into this 
kind of contact with others, it feels a pain, the extent of 
which corresponds with the degree of difference. O hap- 
py they that have approached so near to the character 
of the Redeemer, as to come into connexion with him, 
I that is, attain to the felicity of beholding him ; they will 
then be in communion also with all his saints ! In this 
manner also, those friends, who much resemble each other 



64 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

in their moral character, will there abide together, in eter- 
nal connexion and harmonious union. From the pre- 
ceding observations, we may therefore comprehend what 
will be the nature of communication in the world to 
come. The somnambulist reads in the soul of him with 
whom he is placed in rapport ; there is no need of lan- 
guage for the purpose, and such also is the case after 
death, the one reads in the soul of the other. 

We have to thank animal magnetism, which was dis- 
covered about thirty years ago, for all these important 
deveiopernents ; but the following are not less important 
and ins true tive. 

Those persons in particular, who have very irritable 
nerves and a lively imagination, are very soon translated 
by animal magnetism, into this state of somnambulism 
and clearness of vision, by a regular and gentle stroking 
of the body. By means of this discovery, it is now 
ascertained, that all the hysteric fits of women, as well 
as hypochondriachism in men, are nothing more or less 
than a species of somnambulism, only that it does not 
arise from artificial manipulation, but from a debilitated 
constitution,. 

Therefore when a person falls into fits, either with 
or without convulsions, so that he loses his conscious- 



REMARKS UPOtf THE NATURE OF MAN". 65 

ness, and sees visions, associates with spirits, and utters 
the sublimest things, which far surpass her natural sphere 
of knowledge, it must on no account be regarded as any 
thing divine, but as a real disease, and as an aberration 
of nature from her regular and prescribed path, All that 
he says and does must be rationally examined, according 
to the word of God; seasonable warnings and admoni- 
tions should be attended to, but they are never, and by 
no means, divine revelations ; not even then, when such 
a person predicts future things, which come to pass, for 
he stands in connexion with the invisible world; but, 
as his soul is still attached to the body, the connexion is 
not perfect ; he cannot distinguish the images of his own 
imagination from spirits : he knows and sees much that 
he did not know and see in his natural state, but it is 
not all real, much less divine ; no regard should be paid 
to it, hat rather, every suitable means used to cure him 
of his disorder; for these aberrations have generally a 
distressing termination. Instances of this will be sub- 
sequently adduced. 

The causes from which a natural magnetic sleep may 
proceed, are chiefly the following : — 

First — a lively and very irritable nervous system, 
and a vivid imagination appertaining to it, both of which 
are generally found united. 

F 



66 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE 01 MAN. 

Secondly — an incessant occupation of the soul with 
supernatural objects; for instance, when superstitious 
and ill-informed simple people are constantly thinking 
upon bewitchments and apparitions. Even if they be, 
at the same time, vile and reprobate characters, they 
may at length be brought, by this means, into a real 
connexion with evil spirits, and then sorcery is no longer 
an idle tale. 

Sensual love, particularly in the female sex, is the 
most fertile source of magnetic fits, and hence arise hor- 
rible deceptions, particularly when religious feelings are 
intermixed with them. I am acquainted with many 
melancholy instances of this kind, to which I will not 
now give publicity, for the sake of persons still living. 

A pious young woman visited the religious meetings, 
which a pious, but handsome and married man held in 
his house. By degrees she fell in love with him, and as 
insuperable difficulties stood in the way of her attach- 
ment, her nerves at length succumbed in the conflict, 
and the poor unfortunate girl became a somnambulist. 
At the commencement, she uttered the most sublime 
and glorious truths in her fits ; and she generally entered 
the crisis when present at these religious meetings. She 
predicted many things that were to happen in future, 
several of which were accomplished. She gained a 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAX. 67 

number of followers ; and the most sensible and well- 
informed regarded her as one that was inspired by the 
Spirit of God, in a word, as a prophetess. 

In her fits, she received information by degrees, that 
the wife of the object of her affections was an abomina- 
tion in the sight of God and his angels. This was 
gradually insinuated with such Satanic cunning and hy- 
pocrisy, that the whole company, which consisted of 
several hundred persons, most devoutly believed it. 
The poor woman was therefore confined in a remote 
place, by orders from the invisible ivorld; she lost her 
reason, died raving mad, and the widower then married 
the young woman, also by order from the invisible 
world. The two principal actors, and the whole of their 
adherents, might be innocently mistaken previous to the 
cruel treatment of the man's first wife. The horrid 
crimes of this female and her followers are known to the 
w r orld, and substantiated by official documents. 

A common servant girl in the North of Germany, 
received, in a trance, the commission that she should 
bring forth the prince, who should bear rule under 
Christ in his approaching kingdom. A married clergy- 
man, and in other respects a pious man, let himself be 
deceived by her ; he believed her, and she really bore a 
son ; but my readers may judge whether he will become 



68 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN, 

that to which his mother had destined him. A similar 
event took place a few years ago in the South of Ger- 
many. 

I knew a lady of sincere piety, who fell daily, of 
herself, into a perfect magnetic sleep. In this state, she 
was extremely sublimely disposed, she saw Christ, asso- 
ciated entirely with angels, heard them sing, sang with 
them, and said things which were astonishing. At length, 
the spirit whom she took for Christ, or perhaps a crea- 
ture of her own imagination, which she took for him, 
announced to her that she would die at six o'clock the 
next morning. The good woman passed the night in a 
state of painful conflict ; in the morning, those that were 
about her stopped the clock, spoke with her on a variety 
of subjects, and thus the time passed over. She was 
afterwards easily convinced, that all she had seen were 
delusive appearances, and her fits also ceased. 

Finally — a person that is holy and devout, by long 
exercising himself in walking in the divine presence, 
may fall into this state of magnetic sleep. But the case 
is very different then : it is immediately evident from what 
source his expressions flow ; and yet even here it is 
necessary to be extremely cautious, and not regard every 
thing as a divine communication or revelation. Expe 
rience teaches, that persons far advanced in piety may 






REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN, 69 

fall into this state of natural magnetic sleep, and also 
enter into connexion with good spirits and even angels : 
but even good spirits do not know every thing, particu- 
larly whilst they continue in Hades, and have merely 
learnt what they know from others. Vain and false 
spirits frequently interfere on these occasions, and seek 
to deceive and mislead the seer. These study his incli- 
nations and wishes, and then arrange the communica- 
tions, imagery, and ideas, in such a manner as to gratify 
his favourite inclinations. Now if he regards all this as 
a divine revelation, he will be satisfied that his wishes 
are agreeable to God, and thus he may fall into the most 
dangerous errors. The truth and importance of this ob- 
servation cannot be too pressingly urged ; for if a man, 
or even a child, fall into a trance, or into any other state 
of supernatural elevation, and then begin to preach re- 
pentance, predict future tilings, and speak in a style to 
which he is naturally incompetent, the common specta- 
tor, especially if he be religiously inclined, regards it all 
as divine influence and revelation ; and the poor som- 
nambulist himself believes it also, rejoices at it, is deeply 
affected by it, thanks God for it, and now the thought 
secretly arises in his mind, that he is something particu- 
lar, and that God has some great object in view with 
him ; he comes into connexion with false spirits of light, 
who strengthen Mm in such ideas by a variety of delusive 
imagery, and then the arch-enthusiast is completed. The 



*70 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE 01 MA>. 

entrance to this erroneous path has not been sufficiently 
guarded, the reason of which is, because philosophers 
and divines either do not understand how to guard it at 
all, or else not in a proper manner. Attend, my dear 
readers, as you value your eternal salvation, to the fol- 
lowing infallible truths, which are of such importance in 
the present day : — 

The whole organization of human nature, and both 
reason and holy writ, testify, loudly and incontestibly, 
that we mortals on this side the grave, are referred solely 
to the visible world, and by no means to the world of 
spirits ; he, therefore, who from curiosity seeks to learn 
either that which is concealed, or that which is future, 
commits a very heinous sin. Genuine faith and constant 
intercourse with God in Jesus Christ, unceasing watch- 
fulness and prayer, and willingness to know nothing but 
Christ the crucified, places the human soul in rapport 
with God and Christ, through the medium of the Holy 
Spirit; and when we neither wish nor seek any thing 
else whatever, we are secure against every error and 
aberration : and should any thing supernatural manifest 
itself, we must continue calm, tranquil, and dispassion- 
ate, and examine minutely what the appearance is, and 
what is its object ; but, in other respects, take no further 
notice of it : if it be of God, it will know how to legiti- 
mate itself, in such a manner as to make it impossible 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 71 

to be deceived ; and if it be from the world of spirits, the 
Christian should know how to act [on the occasion ; I 
will lay down, in the sequel, the most proper rules of 
conduct for his government, in all cases of this kind. 

I return to the object I had in view, which was 
the investigation of human nature, and its relation to 
the sensible world. There are a variety of diseases, 
which are ascribed to the nerves, and which act upon 
the etherial part, or luminous body of the human soul ; 
and when such an individual possesses a lively imagina- 
tion, incomprehensible things frequently occur. It often 
happens that such persons do not feel themselves 111; all 
the vital functions pursue their course unhindered, and 
without pain ; and yet these appearances result from a 
disordered organization of the body, and consequently 
form a disease. 

These individuals see such appearances, either in a 
waking state, so that they are fully conscious of every 
object, and of themselves also, or else they are out of 
themselves, fall into a trance, and thus into magnetic 
somnambulism, in which state they see those appear- 
ances. But here arises the difficult question, where do 
those appearances cease, which are merely founded in the 
nature of man, and where do those commence which 
have their origin in the invisible world? 



12 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN, 

It is possib]e for a person in the state above-men- 
tioned to see angels and spirits ; he may have intercourse 
even with God and Christ, and yet all this he a mere 
delusion of the imagination, for they are only images, 
which were previously formed in it, except that, by dis- 
ease, they are become equally as lively, as those which 
we receive through the outward senses, I knew a pious 
female, who, in her trance, was surrounded with angels 
and conversed with them too. At length the angels be- 
gan to sing, the pious soul sung with thern, and what 
was it? A miserable ballad- singer, and a common na- 
tional air. Persons in this diseased state often speak, 
with so much wisdom and understanding, upon subjects 
of which they were thought to possess scarcely the initial 
knowledge, that it is really astonishing ; and if they be 
pious and awakened people they often preach, and that 
better too, than many a right reverend divine. We have 
instances on record, of men having travelled about the 
country, preached repentance, and awakened many from 
a sleep of sin ; and yet all this was the result of a ner- 
vous disorder, and of a natural elevation, produced by 
magnetic sleep.* I willingly allow, that eternal love 
can make use, even of this means, to bring sinners to re- 
pentance; but it must not be regarded as any thing 

* Our author gives a remarkable example of this in bis 
'- Theobald, or the Enthusiasts," inserted in No. 1 of the " In- 
structive Narrations " page 131— recently published. 



I 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 73 

divine, nor as the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; for in 
this case, the greatest errors may result from it. It is 
to be lamented, that these extraordinary preachers, from 
want of sufficient self-knowledge themselves, believe 
that the Holy Spirit speaks through them ; and when 
their hearers believe it likewise, however many errone- 
ous things the preacher may say, they are all regarded 
as the word of God, and therefore as true. On such 
occasions, every thing should be minutely and rigidly 
examined by the Word of God and sound reason ; but, 
in other respects, no value should be attached to these 
things, much less ought they to be declared divine ; we 
ought rather to seek to cure such persons in a regular 
manner. 

The highest species of apparitions, which have their 
foundation in human nature is, incontestibly, when a 
person still living can show himself in some distant 
place. However much this may have been ridiculed 
as the most absurd superstition, yet so certain and posi- 
tive are the facts narrated, that the matter is placed 
beyond a doubt ; and many of my readers will probably 
remember some incident or other of this kind. I do not 
speak here of such- apparitions as have shewn themselves, 
immediately after death, to some particular friend, but 
of those that have made such a visit, whilst the indivi- 
dual still animated a living body. Instances are known 



74 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

to me, ill which persons who were sick, were seized with 
an indescribable longing to see a certain friend; they 
soon after fell into a swoon, and, during the time, they 
appeared to the distant object of their longing. But the 
following narrative exceeds all I ever read or heard upon 
this subject ; it comes from a credible source, and pos- 
sesses all the characteristics of historic veracity. 

About sixty or seventy years ago, a man of piety and 
integrity arrived in Germany, from Philadelphia, in 
North America, to visit his poor old parents, and with 
his well-earned wealth to place them beyond the reach 
of care. He went out to America whilst he was still 
young, and had succeeded so far as to become overlooker 
of various mills on the Delaware river, in which situation 
he had honourably laid up a considerable sum. This 
respectable individual related to one of my friends, upon 
whose veracity I can depend, the following wonderful 
tale. 

In the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, not far from the 
mills above-mentioned, there dwelt a solitary man in a 
lonely house. He was very benevolent, but extremely 
retired and reserved, and strange things were related of 
him, amongst which were his being able to tell a person 
things that were unknown to every one else. Now it 
happened, that the captain of a vessel belonging to Phil- 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 75 

adelphia, was about to sail to Africa and Europe. He 
promised his wife that he would return again in a cer- 
tain time, and also that he would write to her frequently. 
She waited long, but no letters arrived: the time ap- 
pointed passed over, but her beloved husband did not 
return. She was now deeply distressed, and knew not 
where to look either for counsel or consolation. At 
length, a friend advised her for once to go to the pious 
solitary, and tell him her griefs. The woman followed 
his advice, and went to him. After she had told him ail 
her troubles, he desired her to wait a while there, until 
he returned and brought her an answer. She sat down 
to wait, and the Yuan opening a door, went into his closet. 
But the woman thinking he stayed a long time, rose up, 
went to the window in the door, lifted up the little cur- 
tain, and looking in, saw him lying on the couch or sofa 
like a corpse : she then immediately went back to her 
place. At length he came and told her that her husband 
was in London, in a coffee-house which he named, and 
that he would return very soon : he then told her also 
the reason why he had been unable to write. The wo- 
man went home pretty much at ease. 

What the solitary had told her was minutely fulfilled, 
her husband returned, and the reasons of his delay and 
his not writing were just the same as the man had sta- 
ted. The woman was now curious to know what would 



remarks urox : 

be the result, if she visited the friendly solitary in com- 
pany with her husband. The visit was arranged, but 
when the captain saw the man, he was struck with 
amazement : he afterwards told his wife that he had seen 
this very man, on such a day :(it was the very day that 
the woman had been with him), in a coffee-house in 
London : and that he had told him that his wife was 
much distressed about him : that he had then stated the 
n why his return was delayed, and of his not 
writing, and that he would shortly come back, on which 
he lost sight of the man among the company.* 

This most singular narrative, which is totally inex- 
plicable and incredible, according to the common system 
of materialism, can be explained only according to my 
theory of hum an nature, and its possibility demonstrated. 
For this purpose, I must refer to the indubitable facts, 
for which we are indebted to animal magnetism. 

It is now an evident and established truth, that 
there is, in the human frame, a subtle luminous body, 
an ethereal covering of the immortal rational spirit, which 
has undeniably manifested itself in magnetism, galvan- 
ism, electricity, and in sympathy and antipathy, and shewn 
itself operative in a variety of ways: with this body the 

• See Note 3. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 7 f 

the rational spirit Is eternally and inseparably connected. 
In the foregoing pages, I have denominated this eternal 
luminous body, the human soul. 

This human soul, by an artificial stroking, or mag- 
netizing, can be detached from the nervous system in a 
numberless variety of degrees, and become a free agent, 
according to the extent of the degree of detachment ; 
certain diseases, and likewise certain medicines, or rather, 
poisonous plants, are capable of producing the same 
effect. 

In the inferior degrees of this detachment, con- 
sciousness remains, but the imagination is more lively, 
so that the man believes he really sees and hears what 
he merely imagines. 

Natural sleep is also one species of detachment. 
When the organic machine of the body, or rather the 
nerves, become wearied to a certain extent, the human 
soul forsakes these organs, in so far as they belong to 
the senses ; for, from the latter alone proceeds our con- 
sciousness of the visible world ; the soul, however, con- 
tinues to act of itself ; and if this take place in so lively 
a manner, as to make an impression on the inward or- 
gans of sense, we then remember it on awaking, and call 
it a dream. 



lb REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

This detachment is some degrees more complete in 
the common sleep-walkers, and lias a similarity to mag- 
netic somnambulism : in this case the human soul acts 
more freely, it dreams more connectedly and distinctly, 
and to such a degree, that the nervous system, and con- 
sequently the body also, is set in motion, although the 
senses are all at rest; and as the man in this state is not 
actuated by the sensible world, but by the connexion of 
ideas in the soul, actions ensue which do not belong to 
the natural order of things : but these very actions, as 
every one knows, are much more perfect in themselves, 
than when performed in a wakeful state ; from whence 
it is again evident, that the human soul, when delivered 
from the bonds of the body, can act much more freely, 
perfectly, and actively : it then neither sleeps nor slum- 
bers, nor is weaned any more for ever. 

In the common fits of hypochondriacal and hysteri- 
cal persons, as also of those who are afflicted with 
worms, the degrees of detachment are likewise very vari- 
ous, consequently the exhibitions and actions also which 
proceed from them ; but at death it is complete. Of 
this I will treat at large in the chapter on apparitions. 

It is, therefore, an incontestible experimental truth, 
that the human soul can be detached in an infinite num- 
ber and variety of degrees, even to entire separation from 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 79 

the body, and is able to act freely of itself, according to 
the degree of this detachment, 

There may be those to whom this detachment is a 
very easy matter, and assisted by secret means, may even 
be carried so far, that the human soul leaves the body 
for a short time, performs something at a distance, and 
returns to the body again : but this, however, must take 
place in a very short time, before the blood loses its flu- 
idity, We have several instances of the occurrence of 
this in diseased persons. I will now explain, according 
to my theory, this rare and most remarkable phenome- 
non, w r ith reference to the American instance above re- 
lated, which is the most perfect of its kind. 

When the soul is in a state of detachment from its 
sensitive organs, whilst still in the body, consciousness 
of the visible world ceases, so long as the detachment 
lasts ; the soul, however, lives and acts in the sphere of 
its knowledge, and enters, at length, hy frequent repeti- 
tion of this state, into connexion with the world of spi- 
rits ; it is no longer sensible of any thing in the visible 
world ; it sees and hears no one except those with whom 
it is placed in rapport, which is accomplished by bringing 
the psychical atmospheres of both into contact with each 
other, according to certain laws. With such persons the 
soul can have intercourse and converse, and from them 



80 iL£>i^.R}:> UPON FHE [AN. 

it learns what Is passing around it in the visible 
at the time. 

XoWj supposing the American above-mentioned, 
possessed the capability, either from nature, or by some 
secret means, or by both, to detach his soul at pleasure, 
entirely from the body, and unite it again with the body, 
he could therefore place himself in a state of the most 
perfect somnambulism ; by the phenomena and experi- 
ments of which, every thing must now be explained. His 
soul, therefore, forsook its body, with the will to ask the 
captain the reason of his protracted stay and of his not 
wTiting. As soon as it left the body, it was no longer 
sensible of any thing in the material world, and was in 
the world of spirits, where no space can separate. The 
moment, therefore, the soul forsook the body, it was al- 
ready in London with the captain of the vessel ; and if 
he had been in China, or any where else, its magic will 
would have carried it thither. 

The human soul, abstractedly considered, is invi- 
sible, it is naturally not obvious to the senses, but it 
can make itself visible in two ways : first, by attracting 
atmospheric substances, and forming out of them a body 
like its own ; and secondly, by placing itself in rapport 
with the person to whom it wishes to appear, In the 
former case, it may be seen by many persons ; but then 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN, 8 V 

every one perceives that the apparition is no human 
being, but a spirit : in the latter case, it is only visible 
to him, with whom it stands in rapport, by acting in 
such a lively manner on his soul and organs of sense, 
that he sees the person before him as clearly, as if he 
were present in his own body. This remark I shall also 
subsequently elucidate, very clearly and completely, in 
the chapter on the apparition of spirits. 

The American certainly appeared to the captain ac- 
cording to the second mode, for in the first, a great sen- 
sation would have been excited amongst those that were 
present : and who knows what might have been the con- 
sequence of it to the individual himself? 

I could relate several instances of this kind, but this 
one may suffice, in order not to make this work too 
prolix. 

The singular phenomenon when persons see them- 
selves, or appear to themselves, is not rare, and may 
take place in two ways : first, when the person, who sees 
himself, is alone conscious of the apparition, whilst others 
who are present see nothing. In this case, the appear- 
ance may be merely natural, and founded in human na- 
ture ; but where it is seen by several, it then belongs to 



82 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

the invisible world, and to the following chapter on pre- 
sentiments. 

Should any one ask, how it is possible for a man to 
appear to himself, or how this self-sight is founded in hu- 
man nature : I answer that, in order to this, nothing more 
is requisite, than to see angels and spirits where there are 
none, or at least where they are not obvious to the senses. 
The celebrated Frederick Nicolai, of Berlin, fell once into 
a state, in which he saw many spiritual beings around 
him, which all gradually vanished on making use of lax- 
ative and cathartic medicines.* Now just as other forms 
may be so vividly impressed upon the imagination, as 
to resemble the external sensible impressions, so the 
same impression may also be made by one's own figure. 

I have proposed the question above, Where do those 
appearances cease, which originate merely in human na- 
ture ; and where do those commence that are connected 

^ theTO " dofspirits!Myanswi *"* foi, " s :" 

As long as an apparition only speaks such things, 
as a person in a state of unnatural exaltation may know, 
the appearance is a mere creature of the imagination, in 

* See Note 4. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 83 

some inferior degree of magnetic somnambulism ; but 
when it says things, which it is naturally impossible for 
the person to know, and when these things are afterwards 
found to be true, the person that has these appearances, 
stands in connexion with the invisible world. But this 
may also be the case, although not all that is said comes 
to pass, and even some things not at all ; because, even 
good spirits may still be mistaken, and the bad intention- 
ally mislead. 

There is still something of importance to be obser- 
ved, which lies in human nature ; and that is, the capa- 
bility of having intercourse or connexion with the spiri- 
tual world, on this side the grave, and during the present 
life. According to the laws of nature, this faculty ought 
not to be developed in our mortal frame, because, in this 
life, we are far from possessing all that is necessary to 
try the spirits, and may, therefore, be dreadfully deceived 
and misled. But this faculty may be developed by cer- 
tain diseases ; and there are also some, in whom this deve- 
lopment easily takes place. Now, as spirits, and parti- 
cularly the departed souls of men, which are still in 
Hades, and would gladly have something performed or 
executed in the world they have left, earnestly long for 
some one in the material world, who may accomplish 
their wishes; they consequently rejoice greatly, when 
they find a person who is already in connexion with the^ 






84 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

world of spirits, or may be easily brought into it : they 
therefore appear to this person, and entreat him to fulfil 
their desires. "Wlien I come to treat upon the apparition 
of spirits, I will clearly point out what is to be done in 
such a case, what is duty, and what is not duty. 

The inhabitants of the invisible world are only sen- 
sible of the spiritual world, and not in the smallest de- 
gree of our material or visible world ; in the same man- 
ner as we are sensible only of the latter and not of the 
former. The spiritual world is in the same place with 
the material or visible world ; we are really in it, but we 
perceive nothing of it, even as the spirits are with us and 
about us, without perceiving any thing of us, with the 
exception of the good and evil angels : they are sensible 
of us, and can act upon us; but the departed souls of 
men cannnot do so, except when they find any one with 
whom they are able and permitted to enter into connex- 
ion. 

Hades is in our atmosphere, and' extends down- 
wards into the body of the earth where hell begins ; it 
also extends upwards to the residence of the blessed, in 
pure ether, But of this I shall treat more at large in its 
proper place.* 

* See Note 5. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 85 

A certain pious person, who had the fortune, or ra- 
ther the misfortune, to stand in connexion with the world 
of spirits, maintained that the apparition of a human being 
from the visible world, was just as appalling and terrific 
as their appearance is to us, so that the affair they have 
at heart must be weighty and oppressive, when they re- 
solve upon seeking any one with whom they can enter 
into connexion ; notwithstanding this, they are very glad 
when they find a person of this description. Both these 
assertions may well consist together. 

But wherein does the capability of entering into 
intercourse or connexion with spirits properly consist? 

First. — A natural disposition to it consists in this : 
— when the ethereal part or luminous body of the human 
soul does not imbibe many heavy particles from the 
blood, but keeps itself pure ; by which means it borders 
more closely upon the invisible world. This does not 
depend, however, on the will of man, but on the internal 
organization of the body. 

Secondly. — When the luminous body of the human 

soul receives any particular accumulation of power, so 

•that it becomes more active than is necessary for life and 

sensation, it may then happen that the individual may 



86 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

appear in the invisible world, and have intercourse with 
its inhabitants. 

Both of these causes may be produced by disease, 
by magnetism, by natural means derived from the three 
kingdoms of nature, and by other magic and mystic arts ; 
but it is improper, dangerous, and generally very sinful 
and criminal to make use of such means to attain this 
capability, contrary to the order of God and nature. I 
will not, however, on this account, accuse certain res- 
pectable individuals, who stand in connexion with the 
spiritual world, of committing a crime; there may be 
exceptions to the rule, and it may be the will of God to 
use such instruments for his service ; but when this is 
the case, he will lead such persons, by his providence, 
whither he designs to have them, without their own seek- 
ing it. It is, and ever will be, culpable presumption to 
seek intercourse with spirits from our own impulse. 

The most remarkable individual of this kind was, 
undoubtedly, the famous ghost-seer, Swedenborg; and 
this is the place where I must notice him at some length. 
He had the natural disposition to intercourse with the 
invisible world ; and as so much has been written for and 
against this extraordinray man, I regard it as my duty to 
publish the real truth respecting him, having had the op- 
portunity of obtaining it pure and unmingled, 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 87 

Swedenborg was the son of a preacher in Sweden ; 
his character was that of honesty and sincerity, and he 
possessed great talents for learning, by which he profited, 
and devoted himself to the study of philosophy and 
natural history, but particularly to mineralogy, metal- 
lurgy, chemistry, and geology. In order to perfect him- 
self still more in the latter of these sciences, he under- 
took long journies through Europe, and then returned 
to his native country, where he was admitted as a mem- 
ber of the geological board. He has written a couple 
of thick folios, the contents of which are philosophical ; 
they contain a well-digested system of philosophy, which, 
however, was not favourably received. He then wrote 
also two other thick folio volumes, on copper and iron, 
which still maintain their acknowledged value. To the 
surprise of every one, this able, learned, and pious man 
fell into intercourse with spirits. He made so little a 
mystery of this, that frequently at table, before a numer- 
ous company, and when engaged in the most rational 
and scientific conversation, he would say, that he had 
just before spoken on this or that point with the apostle 
Paul, or with Luther, or with some one who had long 
been dead. It is easy to conceive that those present 
gaped and stared at him with every mark of astonish- 
ment, and doubted whether he was in his right senses. 
However, he occasionally furnished proofs, which were 
unobjectionable. It is true that these statements have 



88 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

been controverted, and the good man accused of decep- 
tion ; but the latter I loudly deny. Swedenborg was no 
deceiver, but a pious and religious man, but who might 
still be occasionally deceived and mistaken. The three 
following proofs of his having intercourse with spirits are 
universally known. 

First. — The Queen of Sweden put him to the test, 
by commissioning him to tell her what she had spoken 
on a certain remarkable occasion with her deceased bro- 
ther, the prince of Prussia, in Charlottenberg, if 1 mis- 
take not. After some time, Swedenborg announced 
himself, and stated to her what had passed. The Queen 
was deeply struck with it, as may be easily supposed. 
This fact has been controverted in the public papers ; 
but a Swedish nobleman, who was, in other respects, no 
admirer of Swedenborg, assured me, that the matter 
was most unquestionably true.* He gave me also other 
proofs of it, which I scruple to make public, in order 
not to compromize certain individuals ; this being gene- 
rally the case with matters that relate to the invisible 
world. 



* A respectable Wurtemburg divine wrote to the Queen 
on the subject ; she answered his letter and testified to the truth 
of it. 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 89 

Secondly. — Swedenborg arrived at Gottenburg, 
from England with a company of travellers. He there 
said, he had learned from the angels, that there was at 
that moment, a fire in Stockholm, in such a street. 
Amongst those present were some, who resided at Stock- 
holm, and who felt uneasy at this intelligence ; but he 
came to them soon afterwards and said, that they need 
not be alarmed, for the fire was extinguished. The 
next day, they learned that such had been exactly the 
the case. This is a fact which is most certainly true. 

Thirdly. — A respectable widow was called upon to 
pay a considerable sum of money, which she was con- 
fident her deceased husband had already paid ; but she 
could not find the receipt. In her distress she went to 
Swedenborg, and entreated him to ask her husband 
where the receipt was laid. Some days after, Swedenborg 
told her, that the receipt was in a certain press, at the 
bottom, in a concealed drawer, where it was immediately 
found.* This fact has been thus explained : Sweden- 
borg knew where the receipt was, and had merely made 
the woman believe he had ascertained it from her hus- 
band. I know to a certainty, that it would have been 
morally impossible for this pious man to have acted in 
such a manner ; if he had known of the receipt, he would 

* See Note 6. 



90 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 



was 



certainly have told the distressed widow where it w 
on her first visit. But I must now add a, fourth experi- 
mental proof, which has never been previously made 
public, and is fully as important as any one of the fore- 
going. I can vouch for the truth of it, with the greatest 
confidence 

About the year 70 of the last century, there was a 
merchant in Elberfeld, with whom, during seven years 
of my residence there, I lived in close intimacy. He 
was a strict mystic in the purest sense. He spoke little ; 
but what he said, was like golden fruit on a salver of 
silver. He would not have dared, for all the world, 
knowingly to have told a falsehood. This friend of 
mine, who has long ago left this world for a better, re- 
lated to me the following tale. 

His business required him to take a journey to 
Amsterdam, where Swedenborg at that time resided ; 
and having heard and read much of this strange indivi- 
dual, he formed^the intention of visiting him, and becom- 
ing better acquainted with him. He therefore called upon 
him, and found a very venerable-looking friendly old 
man, who received him politely, and required him to 
be seated ; on which the following conversation began : 

The Merchant. — Having been called hither by busi- 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 91 

ness, I could not deny myself the honor, Sir, of paying 
my respects to you : your writings have caused me to 
regard you as a very remarkable man. 

Swedenborg. — May I ask you where you are from? 

Merch. — I am from Elberfeld in the grand duchy 
of Berg. Your writings contain so much of what is 
beautiful and edifying, that they have made a deep im- 
pression upon me : but the source, from whence you 
derive them, is so extraordinary, so strange, and un- 
common, that you will perhaps not take it amiss of a 
sincere friend of truth, if he desire incontestible proofs, 
that you really have intercourse with the invisible 
world. 

Swed. — It would be very unreasonable if I took it 
amiss; but I think I have given sufficient proofs, which 
cannot be contradicted. 

Merch. — Are they those, that are so well known, 
respecting the Queen, the fire in Stockholm, and the 
receipt? 

Swed. — Yes, those are they, and they are true. 

Merch. — And yet many objections are brought 



92 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

against them. Might I venture to propose, that you 
give me a similar proof? 

Swed. — Why not ? Most willingly ! 

Merch. — I had formerly a friend, who studied divi- 
nity at Duisburg, where he fell into a consumption, of 
which he died. I visited this friend, a short time before 
his decease ; we conversed together on an important topic : 
could you learn from him what was the subject of our 
discourse ? 

Swed. — We will see. What was the name of your 
friend ? 

The Merchant told him his name. 

Swed. — How long do you remain here ? 

Merch. — About eight or ten days. 

Swed. — Call upon me again in a few days. I will 
see if I can find your friend. 

The Merchant took his leave and dispatched his 
business. Some days after, he went again to Sweden - 
borg, in anxious expectation. The old gentleman met 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 93 

him with a smile and said, "I have spoken with your 
friend, the subject of your discourse was, the restitution 
of all things ." He then related to the merchant, with the 
greatest precision, what he, and what his deceased friend 
had maintained. 

My friend turned pale ; for this proof was powerful 
and invincible. He inquired further, " How fares it with 
my friend? Is he in a state of blessedness?" Sweden- 
borg answered, " No, he is not yet in heaven, he is still 
in Hades, and torments himself continually with the idea 
of the restitution of all things." This answer caused 
my friend the greatest astonishment. He ejaculated, 
I " My God, what in the other world?" Swedenborg 
replied, " Certainly ; a man takes with him his favourite 
inclinations and opinions ; and it is very difficult to be 
divested of them. We ought, therefore, to lay thorn 
aside here." My friend took his leave of this remark- 
able man, perfectly convinced, and returned back to 
Elberfeld. 

What says highly enlightened infidelity to this ? It 
says, " Swedenborg was a cunning fellow, and that he 
employed a secret spy to get the matter out of my 
friend." To this I candidly reply, that Swedenborg was 
of too noble a mind, and had too much of the fear of 
God ; and my friend was too discreet to act in such a 



94 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

manner. Such like evasions belong under the head of 
the " transfiguration of the Redeemer by means of moon- 
shine !" 

It is a matter, which no longer admits of a doubt, 
that Swedenborg had frequent intercourse with the inha- 
bitants of the invisible world, for many years : but it is 
equally certain, that his imagination occasionally deceived 
him, and that certain spirits gave him, at times, wrong 
information. His writings contain a great deal of what 
is beautiful, and instructive, and credible, but also, in 
places, such incomprehensibly absurd and senseless 
things, that it requires an exercised spirit of examination 
to peruse them with pro£t. 

Swedenborg's chief error consisted in believing 
himself, that God had opened his inward sense, and cho- 
sen him for the purpose of making known, in these last 
times, those mysteries, that were hitherto concealed, and 
of laying the foundation of the Lord's kingdom. It is 
easy, however, to conceive how he might be thus de- 
ceived : for as he obtained his acquaintance with the 
world of spirits so suddenly and unsought, and as he was 
not sufficiently acquainted with human nature, as that 
he could have supposed there was such a thing as a dis- 
position of the body, which deviates from the laws of 
nature, a sort of disease, by which the individual may 



REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 95 

become connected with the invisible world, I say, it 
could not be otherwise, he must necessarily believe that 
these revelations came immediately from God : and as 
soon as he believed this, he regarded every thing as true, 
that was revealed to him, and consequently himself also, 
as a prophet sent from God. From such ideas, abomi- 
nable errors and mistakes may arise, and yet the person 
may not believe that he sins, because he regards them 
as being the result of a divine command. 

Animal Magnetism, and an extensive medical ex- 
perience have taught and incontrovertibly convinced me 
that the immortal spirit, the divine spark in man, is 
inseparably united with an ethereal or luminous body ; 
that this human soul, which is destined to be a citizen 
of the world of spirits, is, as it were, exiled into this 
earthly life and animal body, to which it is fettered by 
means of the nerves, and must be thus fettered to it, for 
the purposes of its ennoblement and perfection: that 
this inward and luminous being, during such incarcera- 
tion, is destined to receive its instruction through the 
five organs of sense, and not through intercourse with 
the world of spirits ; but that by means of magnetism, 
by certain diseases, and by other instrumentality, it 
may be more or less divested of the bonds of the body, 
and enter into connexion with the invisible world, which 
however is always something unnatural, and contrary to 



96 REMARKS UPON THE NATURE OF MAN. 

the principles of the christian religion ; and finally, that 
its actions are so much the more perfect and volatile, 
the more it is divested of the body, in order to think, 
imagine, or in a word, to make use of its understand- 
ing, reason, and will ; on the contrary, all the faculties 
of the soul or spirit are much more perfect when the in- 
ward man is freed from the body, it possesses the latter 
only for the purpose of being conscious of the visible 
world, and of acting in it. 

When once the new heavens and the new earth 
shall be completed, then shall the souls of pious men, 
united to their resurrection-body, be conscious, not only 
of the new and glorified visible world, but also of the 
world of spirits, and be able to act in both of them. 

I conclude this chapter with the urgent exhortation 
to avoid all connexion with the world of spirits ; but if 
any one attain to intercourse with it unsought, ]et him 
withdraw himself from it in a charitable and christian-like 
manner, and return to that regular order, in which the 
Father of men has placed him on this side the grave. 
In the chapter on apparitions, I will lay down rules how 
we ought to act towards them. 



CHAP. III. 



ON FOREBODINGS OR PRESENTIMENTS, PREDICTIONS, 

ENCHANTMENTS, AND PROPHESYING. 



By foreboding, I understand a more or less obscure 
perception of something, that is taking place at a distance 
at the time, or that will shortly occur, without the indi- 
vidual being able to find the reason of such perception, 
in the visible world. This is the simplest and purest 
idea of what is properly called foreboding or presenti- 
ment. I have myself experienced such a presentiment 
three several times, as those of my readers will recollect, 
who have read the history of my life. 

As it is impossible for us, in our present state, to 
know, even in the smallest degree, any tiling that is fu- 
ture, or that is taking place at a distance, except when 
we infer it from natural causes : true presentiments must 
therefore proceed from a higher source. I will, there- 
fore, first of all, treat of these latter. 

H 



98 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

There are also those who, either by certain arts or 
diseases, or else by natural disposition, develope their 
faculty of presentiment, so that in certain cases, they can 
learn, for themselves and others, what is taking place at 
a distance, or will shortly take place. I will seek to 
elucidate this important subject also; it has properly 
reference to predictions and divination ; at least they be- 
long, in some respects, to this part of it. 

Sorcery or witchcraft has been reckoned under the 
most stupid kinds of superstition. I will endeavour, in 
the sequel, to show if there be any thing in it, and what 
there is in it. 

Finally. — I must likewise examine how the true 
spirit of prophecy may be distinguished from common 
predictions. I understand by the latter, when any one 
sees a vision, by which something future is made known 
to him, or when something is inwardly revealed to him, 
that is, to his inward senses. 

Real presentiments, of which I will first speak, 
have reference to men, who by no means stand in rap- 
port with the world of spirits, as well as to those who 
stand in this connexion. 

Professor Boehm, of known respectability in Giesen 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 99 

and Marburg, where he regularly read public lectures on 
mathematics, a man of integrity, religious sentiments, a 
friend of truth, and any thing else but an enthusiast, 
used frequently to relate the following tale. 

Being one afternoon in pleasant society, where he 
was smoking his pipe and taking his tea, without reflect- 
ing upon any particular subject, he, all at once, felt an 
impulse in his mind to go home. Now, as he had nothing 
to do at home, his mathematical reason told him he 
ought not to go home, but remain with the company. 
But the inward monitor became stronger and more ur- 
gent, so that, at length, every mathematical demonstra- 
tion gave way, and he followed his inward impulse. On 
entering his room, and looking about him, he could dis- 
cover nothing particular ; but he felt a new excitement 
within him, which told Mm that the bed, in which he 
slept, must be removed from its place, and transported 
into another corner. Here, likewise, reason began again 
to operate, and represented to him that the bed ha,d al- 
ways stood there : besides which, it was the fittest place 
for it, and the other the most unfit, but all this availed 
nothing, the monitor gave him no rest ; he was obliged 
to call the servant, who moved the bed to the desired 
place. Upon this his mind was tranquilized, he returned 
to the company he had left, and felt nothing more of the 
impulse. He stayed supper with the company, went 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

home towards two o'clock, then laid himself in his bed, 
and went to sleep very quietly. At midnight, he was 
awakened by a dreadful cracking and noise ; he arose 
from his bed, and then saw that a heavy beam, with a 
great part of the ceiling, had fallen exactly upon the place 
where his bed had previously stood. Boehm now gave 
thanks to the merciful Father of men, for having gra- 
ciously caused such a warning to be given him.* 

I know very well how the materialist will explain 

this striking and remarkable presentiment. He will say, 
that the beam had cracked the preceding night, and that 
Boehm had heard it indistinctly in his sleep, so that he 
was not clearly conscious of it ; the obscure idea of dan- 
ger, however, still lay in his soul : this idea became more 
lively, the nearer the period of danger approached, and 
at length manifested itself in the manner above stated. 

This explanation bears upon its surface a gleam of 
probability, similar to that, when the materialist seeks 
to explain light, either as proceeding from illumined 
bodies, or by the tremulous motion of the ethereal fluid, 
occasioned by illumined bodies. But the more strictly 
these ideas are investigated, the more groundless are they 
found to be ; at length, contradictions are discovered, 
and they are seen to be impossible. If, by the cracking 

* See Note 7. 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 101 

of the beam, a confused idea of danger had arisen in 
Boehm, during sleep, he would have felt, on awaking, a 
secret anxiety, a dread of something, of which he was 
ignorant, of which he might afterwards, perhaps, have a 
confused recollection ; and then, without knowing why, 
might have ordered the bed to be removed to another 
place. 

But this was far from being the case with the mind 
of the professor : it was at ease, and foreboded nothing ; 
and as, towards evening, the impulse arose to go home, 
it disputed against it, which certainly would not have 
been the case, had this impulse originated in his own 
mind. The same thing happened likewise when the bed 
was transported to another place : Boehm found it impro- 
per and inconvenient. 

But to such sophistry as this, must the materialist 
have recourse, when he attempts to apply his mechanical 
laws to that which is supernatural. Something of this 
kind may give satisfaction to persons of this description, 
and to the superficial reasoner ; but to the christian 
Bible-philosopher by no means ; the latter knows from 
his Bible, from the mouth of truth itself, that there are 
whole hosts of good and evil angels, that can act upon 
the world and upon mankind. Christ teaches us ex- 
pressly, that children have guardian angels, which con- 



102 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

tinually behold the face of his heavenly father, (Matth. 
xviii. 10.) These angels, therefore, recognize, in the 
face of God, his will, and then accomplish it in the chil- 
dren, as far as they are able and are not prevented ; and 
it is clear and evident from Heb. i. 14., and from many 
other passages and hints in the Holy Scriptures, that 
angels are instruments, by which the Lord rules the whole 
creation, and therefore our visible world likewise ; and 
that they serve as guardians to man, and warn him of 
danger, if it belongs to the plan of the man's guidance. 
This warning takes place in various ways, so as the 
warning angel can best act upon a person, and it is then 
called a presentiment. 

It was probably such an angel that whispered into 
Boehm's soul, " Go home," and again afterwards, "Move 
the bed away into yonder corner," 

It is incomprehensible to me, how men can prefer 
a machine which continually moves forward on its course 
by eternal and adamantine compulsion, according to the 
same irreversible laws, and the same cold necessity, to a 
world filled with free agents ; and it is to me equally 
incomprehensible, why those who believe in a world so 
glorious, and so consistent with the character of God, 
should be so deeply despised and ridiculed, and be at- 
tacked with such Satanic malignity. This circumstance 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 103 

is, in reality, no mean proof in favour of my theocratic 
liberty; because the mechanical system is altogether 
favourable to the kingdom of darkness, and most power- 
fully promotes it. Is not my view of such presentiments, 
and of the government of the universe in general, more 
tranquillizing, exhilarating, and more inciting to prayer 
and activity, and to inward confidence in the all-gracious 
ruler of the universe, than that which regards man, in 
the mechanical system, as chained in an iron cage, and 
bound by eternal bonds of darkness, whom afterwards an 
unchangeable destiny hurls away into endless space, 
without knowing whither ? 

The merchant in whose employ I was formerly, from 
the year 1763 to 1770, and whom I have called " Spa- 
nier" in the narrative of my life, frequently related to me 
a remarkable presentiment, which he once had in Rotter- 
dam. On commencing business, he took a journey into 
Holland, for the purpose of forming connexions for his 
extensive iron- works. But his chief attention was di- 
rected to Middleburg in Zealand, to which place he had 
several recommendations from his friends, as well as to 
other towns in Holland. Having finished his business 
at Rotterdam, he went in the morning to the Middleburg 
market boat, which was lying there at anchor, ready to 
sail at noon to Middleburg. He took and paid for his 



104 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

place, and then requested that a sailor might be sent to 
him at an inn, which he named, when the vessel was 
about to sail. He then went to the said inn, prepared 
for his voyage, and ordered some refreshment to be sent 
up to his room at eleven o'clock. When he had almost 
finished his repast, the sailor came to call him ; but as 
soon as the man opened the door, and the merchant cast 
his eyes upon him, he was seized with an unaccountable 
trepidation, together with an inward conviction that he 
ought not to go to Middleburg, so that all his reasoning 
against it was of no avail ; and he was obliged to tell the 
sailor that he could not accompany him ; to which the lat- 
ter replied, that if so, he would lose his fare ; but this mat- 
tered not, he felt himself compelled to stay. After the 
sailor was gone, the merchant coolly reflected on what 
might be the probable reason of this singular mental im- 
pulse. In reality, he was sorry and vexed at thus ne- 
glecting this important part of his journey, as he could 
not wait for the next market boat. To banish his tedium 
and disappointment he went out for a walk, and towards 
evening called at a friend's house. After sitting there a 
couple of hours, a great noise was heard in the street ; 
inquiry was made, and now they learnt that the Middle- 
burg market boat, having been struck by lightning, had 
sunk, and that not an individual was saved ! My read- 
ers may think what an impression this intelligence made 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 105 

upon the mind of the worthy traveller; he hastened 
home, and in retirement, thanked God for this gracious 
warning. 

I can solemnly vouch for the truth of this relation ; 
and, when rightly considered, one would think it was 
impossible to explain it mechanically; but those who 
explain away the wonders of the Bible, would, however, 
soon accomplish it ; they would say, the heaviness of the 
atmosphere had produced, in the mind of the merchant, 
aii obscure idea of danger, and that this idea had fully 
developed itself on seeing the sailor. But in Rotterdam 
there was neither storm, nor a stormy atmosphere, only 
one single dark cloud had been observed in the distance, 
and my departed friend, with whom I associated for 
seven years, was not affected by the weather. But all 
such remarks as these, are of no avail : he that will not 
believe, will not be convinced, and he that is too proud 
to abandon the system he has once adopted, and to let 
himself be taught different, continually finds something 
to object to, and one has never done with him. It cer- 
tainly was a protecting angel, that whispered to the soul 
of my friend, " Go not with them, or else some misfor- 
tune will befall thee." 

In the second volume of " The Museum of Won- 
ders," chapter II. page 152, there is a striking instance 



106 OX FOREBODINGS, &C 

of a presentiment, related by Madame de Beaumont, iu 
the 8th volume of the Universal Magazine for Art and 
Nature. She says, " My whole family still remembers 
an accident, from which my father was preserved by a 
presentiment of danger. Sailing upon the river is one 
of the common amusements of the city of Rouen in 
France. My father also took great pleasure in these 
water parties, and he seldom suffered many weeks to 
pass over without enjoying it. On one occasion, he 
agreed with a party to sail to port St. Omer, about ten 
miles from Rouen. Dinner and musical instruments had 
been sent on board the vessel, and every preparation 
made for a pleasant excursion. When it was time to go 
on board, an aunt of myfat her's,who was deaf and dumb, 
uttered a kind of howl, placed herself at the door, blocked 
up the way with her arms, struck her hands together, 
and gave by signs to understand, that she conjured him 
to remain at home. My father, who had promised him- 
self much pleasure from this excursion, only laughed at 
her entreaties ; but the lady fell at his feet, and mani- 
fested such poignant signs of grief, that he at length de- 
termined to yield to her entreaties, and postpone his 
excursion to another day. He therefore endeavoured 
to detain the rest also ; but they laughed at him for 
being so easily persuaded, and set sail. Scarcely had 
the vessel proceeded half the distance, before those on 
board had the greatest reason to repent that they had 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 107 

not followed his advice. The vessel went to pieces, 
several lost their lives, and those that saved themselves 
by swimming, were so much terrified at their narrow es- 
cape, that they with difficulty got the better of it." 

No mechanical explanation can apply to this re- 
markable presentiment. The warning angel found he 
could work on no one better than the person who was 
deaf and dumb, he therefore selected her for the execu- 
tion of his commission. 

In the same volume of " The Museum of Wonders," 
page 153, there is an equally striking presentiment re- 
lated, which the editor had from the lips of a credible 
person. This individual had a friend who held an effi- 
cient situation in the country. Being unmarried, he 
committed his domestic concerns to the care of a house- 
keeper, who had been with him many years. His birth- 
day arrived, he made many preparations for celebrating 
it; and told his housekeeper, early in the morning, 
that as the day was fine, she should clean out a certain 
arbour in the garden, which he named, because he in- 
tended to pass the day in it with his guests. Scarcely 
had she received this commission, than she seemed quite 
in a maze, and delayed the fulfilment of it. At length 
she entreated him rather to receive his guests in one of 
the rooms of the house, for she had a presentiment that 



108 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

the arbour would that day be struck by lightning. He 
laughed at her assertion, as there was no appearance of 
a storm coming on that day, and on her renewing her 
entreaties, he was only the more urgent that the arbour 
he had pointed out should be made ready, that it might 
not appear, that he gave way to her superstitious feel- 
ings. At length she went, and did as her master ordered 
her. The day continued fine, the company that had been 
invited arrived, they went into the arbour, and made 
themselves merry. In the mean time, however, clouds 
had gathered in the distant horizon, and were, at length, 
powerfully driven towards the place by the wind. The 
company were so intent upon their entertainment, that 
they did not in the least observe it : but scarcely was the 
housekeeper aware that the storm was approaching, than 
she begged her master to leave the arbour with his com- 
pany, for she could not divest herself at all of the idea of 
the lightning striking it. At first they would not listen 
to her, but she continued her entreaties unremittingly ; 
and at length, as the storm approached with great vio- 
lence, they suffered themselves to be induced to leave the 
arbour. They had not been in the room more than a few 
seconds, when the lightning struck the arbour, and dashed 
every thing that had been left in it to pieces. 

Supposing the housekeeper to have had an urgent pre- 
sentiment of an approaching thunderstorm, and the stroke 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 109 

of the lightning ; yet such a foreboding could not possi- 
bly determine the place where it would strike. Thus, 
events occasionally occur, which the materialist must 
either entirely deny, or, if he cannot do that, he must be 
silent at them. The whole narative shows that the men, 
that were in the arbour, were destitute of the susceptibi- 
lity requisite to hear the angel's voice : in the house- 
keeper, therefore, the warning messenger found easier 
entrance, and made use of this medium for the accom- 
plishment of his philanthropic purpose. 

In the same work, I believe in the 4th chapter of 
the 6th volume, the dream of the celebrated Mr. Von 
Brenkenhof, which has also been elsewhere made public, 
is detailed. The truth of it is beyond a doubt. This 
gentleman dreamed one night, that he was in a desert and 
very dreary region, from which he longed to depart, he, 
however, saw a man who induced him to remain there, 
and he soon after saw this person, to whom he felt attach- 
ed, expire. At the same time he saw a numerous train 
of people, in a strange and unusual dress, and then he 
awoke. The countenance, and the whole exterior of the 
man, whom he saw in his dream, made such an impres- 
sion upon his imagination, that he almost saw him when 
awake. The whole scene was never obliterated from his 
memory, during his whole life. Sometime afterwards, 
he reeeived a commission from Frederick IT. king of Prus- 



110 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

sia,to proceed to Pomerania,in order to succour those pro- 
vinces which had been devastated by the Russians, in the 
seven years war. Brenkenhof journied thither, but found 
the wretchedness so great, and the more closely he ex- 
amined into it, the greater he found it, that despairing of 
being able to render any assistance, he determined to write 
to the king, and inform him that he could not devise any 
means, nor give any advice how the country might be 
restored to its former state, particularly because of the 
deficiency of inhabitants. 

Occupied with these ideas, and whilst travelling to 
a certain place, a person came up to his coach, the sight 
of whom struck him with the greatest astonishment, for 
his appearance answered most exactly that of the man 
whom he had seen in his dream. It is easy to suppose, 
that he was highly pleased at the sight of him, and im- 
mediately placed great confidence in him. He was the 
magistrate of that part of the country, and spoke to Mr. 
Von Brenkenhof in an encouraging manner, promised 
to assist him with his advice and co-operation, and thus 
induced him to commence the benevolent undertaking. 

Some time afterwards, Brenkenhof learnt, that his 
friend was dangerously ill; he hastened to him, and 
witnessed his dissolution. That very day, or the fol- 
lowing one, he saw a great number of men, women, and 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. Ill 

children, and whole families arrive. They were colonists 
from Poland, who intended to settle in the devastated 
province, and were thus instruments, by which Bren- 
kenhof could carry his benevolent plans into execu- 
tion. 

Now what was the real object of this presentiment ? 
It was not a warning from danger, nor did it give any 
hint either to do any thing, or to leave something un- 
done. At first sight, this dream, although it was a true 
presentiment, appears devoid of any definite object; but 
if the matter be more closely examined, a very remark- 
able predetermination of providence is observable. If 
Brenkenhof had not seen in a dream, the image of his 
subsequent benevolent friend, and if it had not made 
such an impression upon him, the sight of the man him- 
self at his coach door, would not have struck him so for- 
cibly, nor have given his whole soul such a lively im- 
pulse to act for the prosperity of that country. The 
whole dream was, therefore, an efficacious preparation 
for a most benevolent undertaking. That this dream 
was likewise produced by a good angel is evident, be- 
cause it could not naturally have originated in a human 
soul, which was in a healthy state ; for it is not to be 
supposed, that Brenkenhof was in the slightest degree 
a somnambulist. 



112 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

A most remarkable presentiment, by means of a 
dream, is related in the second section of the first volume 
of the " Museum of Wonders," and is to the following 
effect. 

A short time before the Princess Nagotsky of 
Warsaw travelled to Paris, she had the following dream. 
She dreamed that she found herself in an unknown 
apartment, when a man who was likewse unknown to 
her, came to her with a cup, and presented it to her to 
drink out of. She replied, that she was not thirsty, 
and thanked him for his offer. The unknown indivi- 
dual repeated his request, and added that she ought not 
to refuse it any longer, for it would be the last she 
would ever drink in her life. At this, she was greatly 
terrified, and awoke. 

In October 1720, the princess arrived at Paris in 
good health and spirits, and occupied a furnished hotel, 
where, soon after her arrival, she was seized with a vio- 
lent fever. She immediately sent for the king's cele- 
brated physician, the father of Helvetius. The phy- 
sician came, and the princess showed striking marks of 
astonishment. She was asked the reason of it, and gave 
for answer, that the physician perfectly resembled the 
man, whom she had seen at Warsaw in a dream ; but 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 113 

added she, " I shall not die this time, for" this is not the 
same apartment which I saw, on that occasion, in my 
dream." 

The princess was soon after completely restored, 
and appeared to have completely forgotten her dream, 
when a new incident reminded her of it in the most for- 
cible manner. She was dissatisfied with her lodgings at 
the hotel, and therefore requested that a dwelling might 
be prepared for her in a convent at Paris, which was ac- 
cordingly done. The princess removed to the convent, 
but scarcely had she entered the apartment destined for 
her, than she began to exclaim aloud, "It is all over 
with me ; I shall not come out of this room again alive ; 
tor it is the same that I saw at Warsaw in my dream. 
She died in reality, not long afterwards, in the same 
room, in the beginning of the year 1721, of an ulcer in 
the throat, occasioned by the drawing of a tooth. 

This dream also proceeded from a good angel, who 
wished to attract the attention of the princess to her ap- 
proaching end. 

But there are likewise presentiments, which refer 
to such objects as do not appear to be worthy of the inter- 
ference of a good spirit or angel. Instances of this are 
to be found in " Moritz's Experimental Psychology," 

i 



114 ON FOREBODINGS, &TC. 

vol. i. page 1. I will here insert the whole letter, as it 
was addressed to the editor. 

" You desire me to give you a written account of 
what I lately verbally related to you, regarding the souFs 
faculty of prescience, As my experience rests solely 
upon dreams, I have certainly reason to apprehend, that 
many will take me for a fantastic dreamer ; but if I can 
contribute any thing to the very useful object of your 
work, it is no matter, let people think what they will. Be 
that as it may, I vouch for the truth and veracity of what 
I shall now more particularly relate. 

" In the year 1768, whilst learning the business of 
an apothecary in the royal medical establishment at Ber- 
lin, I played in the seventy- second drawing of the Prus- 
sian numerical lottery, which took place on the 30th of 
May of the same year, and fixed upon the numbers 22 
and 60. 

" In the night preceding the day of drawing, I 
dreamed, that towards twelve o'clock at noon, which is 
the time when the lottery is generally drawn, the master 
apothecary sent down to me to tell me that I must come 
up to him ; on going up stairs, he told me to go immedi- 
ately to Mr. Mylius, the auctioneer, on the other side of 
the castle, and ask him if he had disposed of the books 



OS FOREBODINGS, &C. 115 

which had been left with him for sale : but that I must 
return speedily, because he waited for his answer. 

" That's just the thing, thoughtl, still dreaming, the 
lottery will just be drawing, and as I have executed my 
commission, I will run quickly to the general lottery of- 
fice and see if my numbers come out, (the lottery was 
drawn at that time in the open street,) if I only walk 
quick, 1 shall be at home again soon enough. 

" I went therefore immediately, (still in my dream,) in 
compliance with the orders I had received, to Mr. My- 
lius, the auctioneer, executed my commission, and after 
receiving his answer, ran hastily to the general lottery 
office, on the Hunters' Bridge. Here I found the custo- 
mary preparations, and a considerable number of specta- 
tors. They had already begun to put the numbers into 
the wheel, and the moment I came up, No. 60 was ex- 
hibited and called out. O, thought I, it is a good omen, 
that just one of my own numbers should be called out 
the moment I arrive ! 

" As 1 had not much time, I now wished for nothing 
so much as that they would hasten, as much as possible, 
with telling in the remaining numbers. At length they 
were all counted in, and now I saw them bind the eyes 



116 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

of the boy belonging to the orphan school, and the num- 
bers afterwards drawn in the customary manner. 

" "When the first number was exhibited and called 
out, it was No. 22. A good omen again, thought I, 
No. 60 will also certainly come out. The second num- 
ber was drawn, and behold it was No. 60! 

" Now they may draw what they will, said I to 
some one who stood near me, my numbers, are out, I 
have no more time to spare; with that I turned myself 
about, and ran directly home. 

" Here I awoke, and was as clearly conscious of my 
dream as I am now relating it. If its natural connexion, 
and the very particular perspicuity had not been so strik- 
ing, ; I should have regarded it as nothing else than a 
common dream, in the general sense of the term. But 
this made me pay attention to it, and excited my curi- 
osity so much, that I could scarcely wait till noon. 

" At length it struck eleven, but still there was no 
appearance of my dream being fulfilled. It struck a 
quarter, it struck half-past eleven, and still there was 
no probability of it. I had already given up all hope, 
when one of the work-people unexpectedly came to me, 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 117 

and told me to go up stairs immediately to the master 
apothecary. I went up full of expectation, and heard 
with the greatest astonishment, that I must go directly 
to Mr. Mylius, the auctioneer, on the other side of the 
castle, and ask him if he had disposed of the books in 
auction, which had been entrusted to him. He told me 
also, at the same time, to return quickly, because he 
waited for an answer. 

" Who could have made more dispatch than H I 
went in all haste to Mr. Mylius, the auctioneer, executed 
my commission, and after receiving his answer, ran as 
quickly as possible to the general lottery office, on the 
Hunters' Bridge ; and full of astonishment, I saw that 
No. 60 was exhibited and called out, the moment I ar- 
rived. 

" As my dream had been thus far so punctually 
fulfilled, I was now willing to wait the end of it, although 
I had so little time ; I therefore wished for nothing so 
much, as that they would hasten with counting in the 
remaining numbers. At length they finished. The 
eyes of the orphan boy were bound, as customary, and it 
is easy to conceive the eagerness with which I awaited 
the final accomplishment of my dream. 

" The first number was drawn and called out, and 



118 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

behold it was No. 22. The second was drawn, and this 
was also as I had dreamed, No. 60. 

" It now occurred to me, that I had already stayed 
longer than my errand allowed ; I therefore requested 
the person who was next to me in the crowd, to let me 
pass. 'What,' said one of them to me, 'will you not 
wait till the numbers are all out?' No, said I, my 
numbers are already out, and they may now draw what 
they please, for ought I care. With that I turned about, 
pushed through the crowd, and ran hastily and joyfully 
home. Thus was the whole of my dream fulfilled, not 
only in substance, but literally and verbatim. 

" It will, perhaps, not be disagreeable to you, if I 
relate two other occurrences of a similar nature. 

* On the 18th of August, 1776, I dreamed I was 
walking in the vicinity of the Silesian Gate, and intended 
to go home from thence, directly across the field, by the 
Rocksdorf or Dresden road. 

" I found the field full of stubble, and it seemed as 
if the corn, that had stood there, had only been reaped 
and housed a short time before. This was really the 
case, although I had not previously seen it. On enter- 
ing the Ricksdorf road, I perceived that some persons 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C 119 

had collected before one of the first houses, and were 
looking up at it. I consequently supposed that some- 
thing new had occurred in or before the house, and for 
this reason, on coming up, I asked the first person I 
met, ' What is the matter here V He answered with great 
indifference, i The lottery is drawn.' ' So/ said I, * Is 
it drawn already, what numbers are out' • There they 
stand,' replied he, and pointed with his finger to the 
door of a shop that was in the house e which I now per- 
ceived for the first time. 

" I looked at the door, and found that the numbers 
were written up, on a black border round the door, as is 
frequently the case. In order to ascertain if there was 
really a shop, with a receiving house for the lottery, at 
the commencement of the Ricksdorf road, I did not think 
it too much trouble to go there, and found that this was 
really the case. To my great vexation, I found that 
only one of my numbers had come out. I looked over 
the numbers once more, in order not to forget them, 
and then went home disappointed. 

" On awaking, I was hindered, by an accidental 
noise, from immediately recollecting my dream, but 
shortly afterwards it again occurred to me; and after a 
little reflection, I remembered it as clearly as I have now 



120 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

related it, but found it difficult to recollect all the five 
numbers. 

" That No. 47 was the first, and No. 21 the second 
of the numbers, I remembered perfectly well ; that the 
third which followed Was a 6, I was also certain, only I 
was not confident whether the which I had seen here- 
abouts, belonged to the 6 or to the following number 4, 
which I also remembered very distinctly to have seen ; 
and as I was not certain of this, it might have been just 
as well 6 and 4 alone, as 60 and 40. 

" I was the least confident as to the fifth number, 
that it was between 50 and 60 I was certain, but which I 
could not precisely determine. I had already laid mo- 
ney upon No. 21, and this was the number, which, ac- 
cording to my dream should come out. 

" As remarkable as my dream appeared to be in 
other respects, yet I was diffident of it, from being una- 
ble to remember all the ^.ve numbers. Although I was 
quite certain, that amongst the sixteen numbers men- 
tioned, that is, those between 50 and 60, and the six 
previously indicated, all the five, which I had seen in 
my dream, were contained ; and although there was stOl 
time enough to secure the numbers, yet it did not suit 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 121 

me, on account of the considerable sum it would require 
to stake upon all the sixteen numbers. I therefore con- 
tented myself with a few ambs and ternes, and had, be- 
sides this, the disappointment of selecting a bad con- 
junction of numbers. 

" The third day afterwards, the 21st of August, 
1776, the lottery was drawn, it was the 215th drawing, 
and all the five numbers which 1 had seen in my dream, 
came out exactly; namely, 60. 4. 21. 52. 42., and I 
now remembed that No. 52 was the fifth of those which 
I had seen in my dream, and which I could not previ- 
ously recollect with certainty. 

" Instead of some thousand dollars, I was now com- 
pelled to be contented with about twenty. 

" The third, and, for the present, the last occur- 
rence of this kind, which I shall relate, was as follows. 

" On the 21st of September, 1777, I dreamed that 
a good friend of mine visited me, and after the conversa- 
tion had turned upon the lottery, he desired that he 
might draw some numbers out of my little wheel of for- 
tune which I had at that time. 

"He drew several numbers, with the intention of 



122 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

staking money upon them. When he had done drawing, 
I took all the numbers out of the wheel, laid them be- 
fore me upon the table, and said to him, the number 
which I now take up, will certainly come out at the 
next drawing. I put my hand into the heap, and drew 
out a number, unfolded it, and looked at it : it was very 
plainly 25. I was going to fold it up, and put it again 
into the wheel, but that very moment, I awoke. 

"Having so clear a recollection of my dream, as I 
have now related it, I had much confidence in the num- 
ber, and therefore staked so much upon it, as to be 
satisfied with the winnings ; but two hours before the 
lottery was drawn, I received my money back from the 
lottery agent, with the news that my number was com- 
pletely filled up. The lottery was drawn on the 24th 
of September, and the number really came out. 

"Although I very willingly allow, and am well 
aware, that many and perhaps the generality of dreams 
arise from causes, which are founded merely in the body, 
and therefore can have no further signification ; yet I be- 
lieve I have been convinced by repeated experience, that 
there are not unfrequently dreams, in the origin and exis- 
tence of which, the body, as such, has no part ; and to 
these, in my opinion, belong the three instances above 
mentioned. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &JC. 12 3 

"I do not think, that the contents of these dreams 
ought to give occasion to any one to judge wrongfully, 
for otherwise, I could just as well have selected others; 
but I have placed them together precisely "because of 
their similarity. 

"Christ. Knape, 
"Doct. of Philosophy, Medicine and Surgery." 

I have likewise sought out these three presenti- 
ments, because it is impossible to conceive of any de- 
ception of the imagination in them, or of any external 
concatenation of circumstances, that might have afford- 
ed the soul materials to conjecture ; and finally, because 
they have all the qualities of historic authenticity. 

I must now insert another letter, which a very 
worthy preacher in a town of some note, adressed to me. 

" Being aware from something you have lately pub- 
lished, that you have the intention of writing a treatise 
upon the soul's faculty of presentiment, I take the liberty 
of sending a contribution to it, which is the more to be 
relied on, because I am almost proud of acting the scep- 
tic on this subject. 

" When I was a boy of 15 or 16 years of age, being 
once engaged in conversation on indifferent subjects, I 



124 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

was on a sudden beside myself, during which, my imagi- 
nation pictured to me a thief under the escort of soldiers 
and peasants, whose very dress I marked, in as lively a 
manner as if the circumstance had really occurred, so 
that I interrupted the conversation, and said, * They are 
bringing a thief.' I was laughed at: but about ten 
minutes afterwards, there really came a prisoner,, exactly 
in the manner in which I had seen him in spirit. It 
was a sudden trance, in which I saw the vision. 

" Besides several presentiments of no importance, 
which my wife has had in her dreams, I will only ad- 
duce one, which is highly remarkable, and which Moritz 
has therefore inserted in his * Magazine of Experimen- 
tal Psychology.' 

" Six weeks before the event took place, my wife 
dreamed that she was travelling with some one. On 
the road, this person fell ill ; she nevertheless continued 
her journey. The individual became worse, and she 
requested an old woman, with a very forbidding physi- 
ognomy, to give her something to eat, but received no- 
thing but bread and water. The person, shortly after- 
wards, was confined to bed, and was very weak ; a 
clergyman appeared, at whose stupidity, those present 
were disgusted; she saw her lying dead, saw the mourn- 
ers enter the room, heard the hymn sung in the street, 



OX FOREBODINGS, &'C. 125 

•I die in Jesus &c.' saw the mutes in attendance, which 
is here by no means customary, and six weeks after this, 
every circumstance was most minutely fulfilled. She 
related all this to me the next morning after having had 
the dream: it is therefore no subsequent invention, nor 
enriched with additions.''* The remainder of the letter 
does not belong here. 

In all these presentiments, there is no apparent 
object in view ; certainly in the winning in the lottery, 
Providence had of course a hand, because both enter 
deeply into the man's sphere of action, and have much 
influence upon his fate, and upon that of those with 
whom he is connected. But in Dr. Knape's presenti- 
ments, something singular is observable, they were of no 
use to him, and one sees clearly, that Providence over- 
ruled the consequences of his foreknowledge. 

In the first instance, Knape had already staked 
upon the numbers 22 and 60, when he dreamed and 
foresaw that these numbers would come out first. To 
all appearance, therefore, this presentiment was entire- 
ly devoid of aim. 

But the second dream manifestly shows the inter- 
ference of Providence. Knape saw all the five numbers 
* See Note 8. 



126 ON FOREBODINGS, iScC. 

very clearly ; the presentiment was complete : but as 
it did not accord with the divine will, concerning him, 
that he should at once come to the possesion of so large 
a sum of money, Providence occasioned a noise on his 
awaking, or made use of it to draw his attention away 
from the figures, and he no longer precisely knew what 
they were. 

His third dream, with reference to this point, is 
extremely remarkable. Knape, on awaking, had a 
very distinct recollection of No. 25. He therefore staked 
upon it three days before the drawing, and consequently 
early enough, and yet it was struck out by the lottery 
agent, and not received. For what reason, Knape 
does not mention. Be that as it may, it was not the 
will of Providence that he should win upon this number, 
and the presentiment was unavailing. 

Nor does there seem to beany object in view, in the 
presentiment, which the clergyman had in his youth : 
probably it was to make an efficient impression upon 
his mind, that might prepare it for salutary reflection. 

The remarkable dream of the clergyman's wife con- 
tains a very complete presentiment; but seems likewise 
to be destitute of any particular object. We cannot 
however know, whether in this, and in all other similar 






ON FOREBODINGS &C. 127 

cases of presentiment, they have not an effect upon the 
inward man, and the train of his ideas, though not per- 
ceived by us; and therefore some definite end. This 
appears to me, at least, more than probable. 

But what say the materialist, the rationalist, and 
the enlightened christian to this ? The materialist must 
lay his hand upon his mouth at the relation of all pre- 
sages of this nature ; for according to this system, no 
man can know or decipher more of the future than what 
he can actually infer from existing causes, which are ob- 
vious to the senses, and their necessary or probable ef- 
fects. But in the examples adduced above, neither of 
these have any thing to do. These presentiments even 
stand in direct contradiction to such a philosophy ; ac- 
cording to its principles, they are not possible, and yet 
they are real and true ; hence it follows with apodictical 
certainty, that those principles are entirely false. In 
order to explain myself clearly and satisfactorily upon 
this very important subject, I will here attempt to draw 
a complete and conclusive deduction with reference to 
this obscure subject; my readers will therefore pardon 
me, if I recapitulate several things which I have already 
said. 

Man, by means of his body, is organized for the ex- 
isting visible world ; but his human soul, or its spirit, 



128 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

with its immortal luminous body, is organized for the 
invisible world. 

The human soul, so long as this mortal life conti- 
nues, is exiled into this mechanical body. It attains all 
its knowledge in time and space, through the medium 
of its sensible organs; and as it has not rationally, in it- 
self, or in its own nature, any other sources of know- 
ledge, it is impossible for it to judge and conclude other- 
wise than according to those laws which it gives to the 
senses, by means of its corporeal organization. 

He that xcill not believe in the God of the Chris- 
tians, nor in the immortality of the soul, in the face of 
his own inward conviction, may make himself easy in 
his unbelief; he needs nothing more. But the soul that 
hungers after perfection, and after a continual increase 
of blessedness, needs more than this transitory, sensible 
world affords. But this additional something it is un- 
able to find in the whole sphere of its knowledge. Peo- 
ple may say what they please of the physical proof of 
the existence of God, yet the result is never the true 
God, but only a supremely perfect, almighty, omnipre- 
sent, all-good and all-wise man, whose whole creation, 
together with the whole human race, is but a machine, 
which governs itself by its own concreated powers. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 129 

The soul does not know itself, nor is it possible for 
it to know itself, from its own sensible sources of know- 
ledge. It wishes eternal duration, united with ever in- 
creasing perfection and blessedness. The motive to this 
lies in its own nature, it is created with it ; left to itself, 
it is ignorant of the true means of attaining it: it there- 
fore naturally seeks them in the world in which it exists, 
that is, in the visible world, but there it finds them not. 
It hastens from one attainment and from one enjoyment 
to another, but is never satisfied ; till at length it is with- 
drawn, by death, from the visible world, and those whom 
it has left behind, know not what is become of it. 

Here and there an individual may be found, but 
scarcely one in a million, who reflects' on the matter fur- 
ther. He discovers a track, pursues it, and makes pro- 
gress. He sees clearly, that the world in which he lives, 
and that he himself also, must have had an origin ; the 
idea of a deity occurs to him ; he draws inferences from 
his works ; and the result is, a most perfect man, who 
then becomes his god; and he feels also that he must 
venerate him, and become like him. A law then unfolds 
itself in his mind, whose formula is, " that which thou 
wilt not that others should do to thee, do not to them ; 
and what thou wishest others to do to thee, do thou also 
to them." On further reflection, he at length arrives 
where reason, in the present age, is arrived by philoso- 

K 



130 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

phical illumination ; that is, at deism, then at fatalism, 
afterwards at naturalism, and finally at atheism. En- 
lightened reason left to itself, and not under the guidance 
of revealed religion must, necessarily, at length arrive at 
this. 

Meanwhile, the innate impulse to perfection and 
happiness urges the poor imprisoned soul onward from 
one sensible attainment, and from one sensual enjoy- 
ment, to another, yet still it is never satisfied ; it feels 
that it is not in its true element, yet knows no other ; 
and it now makes choice of one of the two roads that 
stand open to it; it enjoys either as much as it can en- 
joy, or it struggles with fate, bears every adverse occur- 
ring circumstance courageously, and then passes over at 
death, to the great and unknown future. 

There are many that perceive and are well aware, 
that nothing more irrational or aimless can be conceived 
than the annihilation of the soul at death. That a being, 
whose innate impulse is infinite duration, perfection, and 
enjoyment of the supreme good, should, in a few years, 
in which it has attained none of its objects, cease to be; 
what absurdity! An only half-sober reason easily ac- 
knowledges this, but as generally nothing more is seen 
or heard of the soul, after "death, except when it it is here 
and there said, that a dead man has shewn himself, and 



ON FOREBODINGS &C. 131 

is returned again ; the mere rational man, or the mate- 
rialist, knows not a word of the farther fate of his soul 
after death; he dreams and supposes, but always accord- 
ing to his mechanical principles, which he has abstracted 
from the visible world, and which are, therefore, totally 
false, with respect to their application to another world, 
in which spirits with their free-will are at home. 

This is the natural path of human reason, which 
she pursues when left to herself, and when thinking con- 
sistently. Now we would suppose that mankind must 
have necessarily fallen upon this path in the first century 
of their cultivation, because it is so very natural and 
agreeable to reason : quite the contrary ; if we ask the 
history of all nations, it gives us quite a different answer. 
Men were then acquainted with the invisible world; they 
believed in beings superior to themselves, who in grada- 
tion were more and more glorious, and connected at last 
with God or with divinities, as the Supreme Being, the 
origin and creator of all things. This view of the sub- 
ject is the spirit and basis of all the mythologies or divi- 
nity-systems of every nation that was in any manner 
cultivated. Each particular nation then clothed this 
fundamental principle after its own character and favour- 
ite pursuits ; in every nation there were, from time to 
time, persons of great genius, who beautified the picture 
by their glowing imagination ; and then arose, likewise, 



1.32 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

great benefactors to mankind and mighty heroes, who 
were honoured after death as gods. Belief in God and 
immortality prevailed universally. 

I now ask every reader who loves the truth, how 
was it that mankind arrived so early at this belief in 
God, in an invisible world, and in immortality? Cer- 
tainly not by the path of reason ; for that leads directly 
away from all this ; perhaps by means of imagination, 
that ever ready parent of new nonentities. This might 
easily be supposed; but on closer examination, this sup- 
position vanishes and sinks into nothing ; for, 

First — Ideas which are real and true, lay at the 
foundation of every image of the imagination ; for how- 
can it figure to itself, or create any thing for which it has 
no materials ? After previously knowing something of 
a God, and of a world of spirits ; after knowing this, it 
decked out these fundamental principles with images from 
the invisible world : and, 

Secondly — All nations that are in any degree cul- 
tivated, possess the fundamental principle of God, of a 
world of spirits, and of the immortality of the soul. All- 
agree in this pure and abstract idea. But from whence 
have they derived it ? Naturally, by a revelation of God, 
of the world of spirits, and of apparitions of deceased 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 133 

individuals, which they had either learnt from their fore- 
fathers, or experienced themselves. The idea is unna- 
tural and impossible, that all men should receive an im- 
pression of a thing, that is not at all obvious to the 

senses. 

We find the origin of this fundamental principle of 
God, of the world of spirits, and of the immortality of 
the soul, in the earliest ages in the east, in the cradle of 
humanity. Moses, the most ancient historiographer of 
mankind, relates to us the origin of the visible world and 
its inhabitants ; the first revelations of God, of the world 
of spirits, and of immortality ; the first history of the 
earth and its inhabitants ; and all so entirely without any 
appearance of fabrication, in a manner so simple, sub- 
lime, and becoming the Deity, that every uncorrupted 
heart must exclaim, " This man relates to us truths, 
that are eternal and divine!"* 

Moses was brought up in Egypt. The Egyptians 
were, at that period, the most /cultivated nation upon 
earth. The Parses, who became so famous, were later, 
ibr their founder, Zerduschd or Zoroaster, both the first 
and second, were scholars of the Egyptian priesthood. 
All other nations, even the Greeks, flourished much 
later. With all their cultivation, the Egyptians possessed 
a very corrupt idea of God, of the spiritual world, and of 



134 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 



immortality, or, in one word, of divinity and religion ; 
for they made oxen and other animals symbols of the 
deity, and these were then divinely honoured by the 
common people. Their morals were equally as corrupt ; 
in the time of Moses, they were already deeply sunk. 
He had not therefore learnt his theology from the Egyp- 
tians, although he was acquainted with their mental cul- 
ture; but he had learnt it of his forefathers, of the patri- 
archal family, and also by his own experience, having, 
himself frequent intercourse with God. 

The theological fundamental ideas of God, of the 
spiritual world, and of immortality, proceeded therefore 
from the first of men; were handed down through the 
patriarchal family to Moses, by him to the people of Is- 
rael, and by them, through manifold reflected rays of 
light, in a partial manner also to the Greeks, Romans, 
and other nations, which is abundantly evident from 
their mythologies; until at length, Jesus Christ, the 
God-man, completed the revelation of God to man, by 
exhibiting this theological idea in its most pure and per- 
fect state; and by shewing the infallible way which man 
must pursue, in order to satisfy his central impulse after 
infinite perfection and ever increasing blessedness. 

The fundamental points of this theology, in its pre- 
sent and most perfect form, such as Christ and his 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 135 

apostles, on establishing Christianity, left behind them to 
all his true worshippers and confessors, as divine and 
eternal truth, and as the ground of their faith, consists, 
as far as it relates to my present purpose, in the follow- 
ing ideas. 

God the Father, the almighty creator of heaven and 
earth, sent his only begotten son, the LOGOS, the organ 
by which he reveals himself to all created beings, upon 
earth to become man, and to redeem the human race, 
which had fallen from the state in which it was created. 
This redemption he accomplished by a painful course of 
life and suffering, he then arose triumphant over death 
and hell, and over all fallen spirits or angels, to the 
government of all worlds ; to the right hand of his hea- 
venly Father. He received all power in heaven and on 
earth; and is, and shall continue to be, sole regent of 
the world, until all his foes, and the enemies of man, and 
finally death itself be overcome. The Holy Spirit, whom 
he has sent us, operates the moral perfecting or sancti- 
fication of man, when the latter does not resist him, but 
asks for him with faith and fervour; but the government 
of mankind is exercised by the spiritual world, through 
the medium of good angels and spirits, who, without 
trenching upon the freedom of man's will, and entirely 
without his knowledge, seek, by every means, to influ- 
ence his freewill according to the Lord's will ; those who 



136 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

believe in the Lord and his word, and regulate their lives 
according to it, then become likewise co-operating instru- 
ments in the government of the world, the end of which 
is, gradually to overcome the powerful intermingling in- 
fluence of evil spirits and wicked men, to deliver the 
earth, or the whole human race from their bondage, and 
finally to expel, entirely, every thing that is evil, from 
the kingdom of nature. 

The material or visible world is governed accord- 
ing to our human conceptions, which are confined within 
the boundaries of time and space, by its own innate 
powers ; but the rational or spiritual world to which, 
as it regards the soul, men also belong, is governed by 
laws. In the former, the operation of power is of neces- 
sity; but in the latter, obedience to the law depends 
upon the freewill, to which, however, the divine govern- 
ment sets bounds, when it does not accord with its pur- 
poses. 

Although good and evil spirits possess a powerful 
influence in the government of the world, yet it is strictly 
forbidden, in the divine laws of the Old and New Tes- 
tament, to seek any acquaintance with them, or to place 
ourselves in connexion with, and relation to them, and 
it is just as little permitted, for citizens of the world of 
spirits, visibly to manifest themselves to those, who are 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 137 

still in the present state of existence, without the express 
command or permission of the Lord. 

He, therefore, that seeks intercourse with the invi- 
sible world, sins deeply, and will soon repent of it; 
whilst he that becomes acquainted with it, without his 
own seeking and by divine guidance, ought to beg and 
pray for wisdom, courage, and strength ; for he has need 
of all these ; and let him that is introduced into such a 
connexion, by means of illness, or the aberration of his 
physical nature, seek, by proper means, to regain his 
health, and detach himself from intercourse with spirits. 

Such, my dear readers! is the pure, true, and 
evangelical doctrine of God and of the world of spirits ; 
and such is the fundamental principle of my system of 
theocratic liberty, or of my theocratic philosophy. In 
all that belongs to the present life and to the visible 
world, mechanic philosophy must be our rule and crite- 
rion of thinking and deciding : in respect to this, reason 
must judge according to logical laws and be our sole 
guide ; but in all matters relative to the spiritual world, 
she must judge according to the laws of liberty and di- 
vine revelation ; because man, in the present life, is 
only organized for the visible world, and he has there- 
fore no data for his principles of reasoning in the spiritual 



138 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

world, until he be divested of this rude and mechanical 
body. 

Fear not, my dear friends ! that I am again opening 
the door to superstition ; for I pointedly maintain, that 
we ought to pay no attention to the world of spirits and 
its operations. We are referred to the word of God, to 
the Lord, and to his spirit, and have nothing to do with 
any other spirits. 

The infidelity and that falling- away, which so ge- 
nerally prevail, have removed good angels and spirits 
from us, and have attracted towards us evil spirits, who 
however take good care not to make themselves cogni- 
zable ; under the guise of natural effects they carry on 
their baleful purposes, and thus accelerate the ripening 
for judgment. This is my theory of the science of spirits ; 
in accordance with the principles of which, I am now 
able to answer the question, "What must be believed 
or disbelieved of presentiments, visions, and appari- 
tions?" 

When any one, who has no predisposition to fore- 
sight, that is, no developed faculty of presentiment, is 
warned of danger, by an unknown something : it occurs 
by command of the divine government, through the 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 139 

medium of an angel, who makes use of a direct impres- 
sion upon the mind, according as he can attain his end 
in the best and easiest manner. To this class belong 
the first instances of true presentiments, which I have 
related above. If it be asked, "Why are not all men 
thus warned of danger?" I answ r er, when the indivi- 
dual himself can forsee and suppose danger, no presenti- 
ment is necessary, and equally so, when a misfortune 
is applicable to the aim of divine government. A pre- 
sentiment is then alone necessary, when the approaching 
misfortune cannot otherwise be avoided, and yet is not 
suited to the end in view, and must therefore be by all 
means prevented. 

The dream of Mr. Yon Brenkenhof w r as also the 
production of a warning aflgel, because he could not be 
induced, prepared, and strengthened for the active assis- 
tance of so many unfortunate beings in any other man- 
ner ; and it was also an angel, that early made knowm 
to the Princess Nagotsky the circumstances which should 
accompany her decease, to give her a hint, what she had 
then to do. But the world to come must eventually 
unfold, why these things take place by means of an an- 
gel, and in such a manner. 

With respect to the presentiments of Dr. Knape, 
the case is very different: these had their origin in him- 



140 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

self; I will explain myself more minutely upon this 
point. 

It is clear, that angels were not employed in the 
matter, because the presentiments were useless, Provi- 
dence rendering the object of these unavailing. The 
case is as follows. 

It is evident from the theory I have laid down, that 
the human soul approaches the world of spirits in the 
degree that it divests itself of the organs by which it acts 
upon the body, and the latter upon it. This may take 
place in various ways, and in a variety of degrees, 
from the smallest presentiment, to complete detachment 
in death. 

When the individual has a natural tendency to any 
species, or to a certain degree of that detachment of the 
soul from the body, I call this kind, or this degree, the 
faculty of presentiment, which when it is active or ope- 
rates, I then denominate, the developed faculty of pre- 
sentiment. 

This kind of faculty of presentiment of the soul, 
rests on a predominant inclination to any particular thing : 
for instance, he that takes pleasure in playing in the 
lottery, or that is inspired with a curiosity to know fu- 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 141 

ture things, or such as are doing at a distance, and pos- 
sesses at the same time that disposition, such a one de- 
velops his faculty of presentiment, only in reference to 
this object; he is susceptible of that to which his soul 
has a tendency, and this susceptibility is in proportion 
to such disposition, as also the degree of its obscurity or 
clearness. 

However comprehensible and rational all this may 
be, yet the chief difficulty still remains ; and that is, how 
is it possible for a person in the visible world, or how 
can finite spirits, all of whom, as limited beings, develop 
their ideas in succession, and consequently in time and 
space, foreknow future things? 

I answer, that as the free actions of men in the vi- 
sible world, are guided by the world of spirits, without 
infringing however upon their liberty, consequently the 
arrangements with respect to all the actions of individu- 
als, single nations, and the whole hunan race, from the 
meanest to the most important, are there made and 
brought into exercise. An individual, therefore, who 
possesses a developed faculty of presentiment, may be 
susceptible of the result of those arrangements, it being 
in some way made obvious to his senses, and by this 
means presented to him in a perceptible form. 



142 ON IOREBODINGS, &C. 

* 

It is utterly impossible that there can be any blind 
chance, any mere casualty. The most important events 
generally spring from the most minute and trifling oc- 
currences. Not a hair, not a sparrow falls to the ground, 
without the will of God. The world of spirits is busy 
at the gaming table, and at the most forbidden actions, 
and the most horrible vices. Evil spirits operate to 
perdition, inflame the passions, and allure to vice, and 
the good seek, under the direction of the divine govern- 
ment, to promote virtue, to encourage us in conflicting 
against the passions, and to deter us from vice. Thus 
it is comprehensible how a developed faculty of presen- 
timent may forsee something that is shortly to take 
place, but not what is remotely future, because it is un- 
consciously susceptible of the arrangements for the for- 
mer, but not for the latter ; from which obscure sensa- 
tion, the inward senses form a perceptible and tangible 
result, of which the soul is clearly sensible. 

Here the great distinction also manifests itself be- 
tween these natural presentments and divine predictions, 
of which I will subsequently treat at large, in its proper 
place. 

Hitherto we have only spoken of such individuals, 
who have either no developed faculty of presentiment, 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 143 

g 

and whose presages, therefore, proceed from angels ; or 
of such, who only seldom, and in particular instances, 
develop their faculty of presentiment, and forebode 
something, which has often neither meaning nor worth. 
But we now come to a description of people, whose 
faculty of presentiment is so developed, that they fre- 
quently and repeatedly fortell that which is future. These 
again may be divided into various classes. 

There are individuals, who have long devoted them- 
selves to a life of unfeigned piety, and who by walking 
before God, and by inward intercourse with him for 
many years, develop at length their faculty of presenti- 
ment; that is, when they have, besides this, a natural 
tendency to it. These pious souls look with an enlight- 
ened eye into the spiritual world, and into futurity ; but 
their regards have always reference to those objects, 
which are their favourite ones ; for instance, when such 
characters occupy themselves much with the book of Re- 
velations, they receive light upon the subject ; or if they 
reflect much and intently upon the state of man after 
death, their enlightened eye then fixes itself upon the 
subject, &c. But as the most devout and holy souls, 
with all their exalted and purified inward powers, are 
still in the body, and though their sensible imagination 
be irradiated by this divine light, yet they cannot always 
distinguish the knowledge they derive from the spiritual 



144 ON FOREBODINGS, ScC. 

• 

world, which is therefore correct, from that which their 
lively imagination produces. Consequently from hence 
proceed those errors and mistakes which sometimes 
creep into their discourses or writings. When such per- 
sons prophesy, there is much that is afterwards fulfilled, 
and much that is not, for the reason 1 have just adduced 
above. 

Now from these remarks, which are certainly cor- 
rect, proceed two important fundamental duties. 

First. — That such devout and holy individuals 
ought by no means to presume upon this spiritual gift, 
nor to regard it as a divine revelation. If they have a view 
of the future, or a consciousness of that which is taking- 
place at a distance, or if they derive knowledge from the 
world of spirits, their first thought ought certainly to be, 
" According to the divine order of tilings, I ought to 
know nothing of this; but as it has been revealed to me 
without my seeking it, and by divine permission, the 
question now is, whether it be intended solely for my- 
self, or for some far advanced souls, or even for the 
public in general." Here prayer,watching, and self-denial 
are requisite ; for the tempter now shews himself as an 
angel of light; he gently and imperceptibly insinuates 
into the man's mind, the idea that he must certainly 
have made great progression in holiness, and be particu- 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 145 

larly acceptable to God, who thus deigns to favour him 
with his revelations, and endue him with the prophetic 
gift!!! Much experience is requisite here, in order to 
take this hissing of the serpent for what it really is, and 
to scare the venemous reptile away, by an inward ap- 
proach to the crucified Redeemer. Nay, the tempter is 
very often complimented, to the following effect, " Ex- 
cuse me, I am much too far behind, much too unworthy 
of so noble a gift, &c. ;" whilst, in the mean time, the 
gilded poison has been swallowed down. A feigned hu- 
mility has taken post in the soul, and very dark and 
painful experiences are then required,, in order to lead 
such an individual back again to true self-denial and 
mortification. 

My readers will easily perceive of what infinite im- 
portance this subject is, of which I am now treating ; for 
if the enlightened soul be not acquainted with the true 
nature of the faculty of presentiment, nor knows that it 
may be developed in characters the most corrupted and 
immoral, the individual may easily mistake it for a divine 
revelation, and by presuming upon it, gradually fall 
away, and finally perish. 

Secondly. — The duty is equally of primary import- 
ance to every christian. Whenever he observes any thing 
of an extraordinary nature, such as men, women, or 

L 



146 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

children, either falling into trances, or being in any man- 
ner under mental excitation, and entering into a state of 
supernatural elevation, he must act with great circum- 
spection, and not look upon it as any tiling divine. In 
the beginning, such persons often speak sublime things 
that are founded in the Word of God; they then gain 
followers, and probably many are converted by them ; 
but in the sequel, the adversary of all that is good gene- 
rally mixes himself in the matter, particularly when such 
somnambulists are simple people, who are destitute of 
the requisite religious knowledge, and then erroneous, 
pernicious, and often monstrous sects arise. Only call 
to mind the horrid events, which happened at the com- 
mencement of the present century, in the canton of 
Berne, in Switzerland, when through the fanaticism of a 
young female, which originated in trances, her old and 
venerable grandfather was strangled by means of her 
followers, in order that his soul might be saved, because 
last Easter was to be the day of judgment! 

I exhort all that read this, or hear it read, in the 
name of the most sacred majesty of our most blessed 
king, Jesus Christ, to be extremely suspicious of all such 
extraordinary appearances, presentiments, trances, and 
predictions ; to examine well and minutely every thing ; 
not to look upon those books, which even pious souls in 
such a state have written, unconditionally as a divine 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 147 

revelation ; and not to believe their predictions, but to 
be persuaded, that though some things may be fulfilled, 
others will not, and even the whole may not. In the 
present very remarkable period, the prince of darkness 
has recourse to every possible means of deception, to oc- 
casion the falling away of the true worshippers of Christ ; 
he assumes the most deceitful forms of light, that he may 
unsettle pious souls ; hence I find it so necessary to be 
continually warning my fellow-countrymen against pry- 
ing into the revelations of the Bible, in order to learn 
what is shortly to take place. Of this we know as much 
as is necessary for us, and it is sufficient if we are always 
attentive to observe how they are fulfilled by degrees. It 
generally happens, that some false spirit joins itself to 
such inquisitive- people, which they confidently believe 
to be the Spirit of God ; they rejoice at this distinguished 
favour, and then regard all their reveries as inspiration 
and of divine suggestion. The deceiver leads them im- 
perceptibly away from the truth : and when at length 
these dreams are not accomplished, their faith suffers 
shipwreck, and this is just what the tempter seeks. 

Being unwilling to know any thing but Jesus Christ, 
and him crucified, is at present an imperious duty. He will 
then grant us that knowledge which is needful for us, on 
every occasion. 



14S ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

A dear and valued friend communicated to me, 
some months ago, a beautiful and instructive instance 
how the true christian ought to employ the gift, or rather 
the quality of a developed faculty of presentiment. I 
pledge myself for the truth of it, and give it in the same 
words in which I received it. 

" The wife of a common mechanic in S , pos- 
sessed the gift of prescience in a high degree. She had 
almost constantly, day and night, visions from the world 
of spirits ; but she kept them very secret, and disclosed 
them only to very confidential persons. She was not 
only very devout, and a real practical christian, who ex- 
ercised herself daily in patience, self-denial, and charity, 
but she also possessed christian sagacity and unfeigned 
humility. She not only did not arrogate to herself any^ 
thing on account of her visions, but warned people against 
such things, assuring them, that persevering watchful- 
ness aud constant prayer were requisite, in order to avoid 
falling into errors ; that amongst the inhabitants of the 
world of spirits, there were good and evil, and partially 
good and partially evil beings ; that there were many 
spirits, which frequently took delight in deceiving men ; 
that she had often experienced this, but was soon aware 
of it, having received of God the gift of trying the spirits ; 
that she saw all her deceased acquaintances immediately 



ON FOREBODINGS &C. 149 

after their death, in the form in which they appeared in 
the other world. A bishop who was regarded as pious, 
she had seen in grey, in the habits of the poor ; that 
proud people appeared tall, but became smaller as they 
lost their pride, &c. 

" This woman once met with an intimate friend of 
hers in the street ; the latter was very pious and devout, 
but regarded all visions as empty fancies, and did not 
believe in the existence of a world of spirits. As soon 
as she perceived her, she said to this widow, Did you 
not see your deceased husband last night, in such and 
such a form ? The widow was astonished, for such had 
really been the case. I must tell you, answered she, 
that if 1 did not know you so well, and if I were not so 
much attached to you, I should believe that you had to 
do with things that are improper. 

" She was often requested by deceased individuals, 
even by those whom she did not know, to pray for them. 
She did so fervently, and not unfrequently saw those 
persons afterwards appear with a friendly countenance, 
as if to thank her. 

" It very often happened that she saw persons, who 
visited her, enter her door some time before, and knew 



150 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

immediately in what temper they would come to her, 
whether good humoured or cross. 

" She once wished to speak with a female friend of 
hers, who resided in the same town, but at a considera- 
ble distance from her. Her urgent avocations did not 
permit her to go out; she therefore made use of her 
fixed will to call her to her. Her friend sat quietly at 
home, without thinking of going out, Sudden]y it oc- 
curred to her that she ought to go to Mrs. W. She 
banished the thought and said, I have no occasion to go 
to her, and besides, it is dreadful bad weather, and both 
rainy and windy. But the thought again occurred to her, 
that she ought to visit her friend. I will not, answered 
she. I cannot go out at present. But the impression 
upon her mind became stronger, and left her no rest. 
Full of vexation, she now threw a cloak over her and 
went. On opening Mrs. W.'s door, the latter smiled and 
said, I knew very well that you would be constrained to 
come. Sit down there beside me; I have something 
that I must of necessity say to you, and it was impossi- 
ble for me to go out ; I therefore thought I would call 
you hither by my will. 

" She frequently foresaw the illnesses of her ac- 
acquaintances, but could not always distinguish whether 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 151 

it was a disease that might prove mortal, or one that 
would really terminate in death. Both shewed them- 
selves to her in the same manner. 

" The following prediction, which can be verified on 
oath, is remarkable. 

" In the beginning of the revolution, a person in 
trade travelled to Leipzig, on business to the fair. During 
his stay there, he was publicly denounced as a spy, in 
the Gazette of the Right Bank of the Rhine, and his 
name given. This caused his family great alarm. It 
w r as to be feared that he would be arrested on his return, 
and orders were really issued to that effect. His wife 
Was an intimate friend of Mrs. W.'s. She therefore ran 
to her, and gave a loose before her to all the anxiety 
she felt. After some minutes, Mrs. W. said to her, 
compose yourself, nothing will happen to your husband, 
he will return in safety. You may perfectly rely upon 
what I say to you, you know that I am incapable of tel- 
ling you an untruth, you may fully depend upon it he 
will come safely back. Her friend believed what she 
said, and went away from her quite consoled. She had 
already gone a few paces, when Mrs. W., who still stood 
at the house door, called her back, and said to her, Un- 
derstand me properly, your husband will return in safety > 



152 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

he has, however, a hurt on one foot, but it is of little 
consequence. 

" This prediction was punctually fulfilled. The 
merchant travelled with his clerk, through the provinces 
in which he was denounced ; no one recognized him, and 

he arrived happily in S ; but he had a hurt on one 

foot. In Smalcald he had been thrown out of the car- 
riage, by the horses running away. He did not break 
his leg, but the calf separated itself from the bone, so 
that on his return, he was confined to his bed some weeks. 
He was, however, subsequently perfectly healed. 

" This woman died in March, 1790. Towards the 
end of her life, she was asked, what would be the result 
of the French revolution. She replied, that the present 
order of things would not continue, but the former sys- 
tem would likewise not return. The result would be 
very different from what people imagined ; whole rivers 
of blood would be shed, and dreadful vengeance taken. 
I see, added she, Admiral Coligny extremely busy in 
this revolution ; I always see him in a bloody shut. 

" She warned her friends against being concerned 
in any thing wrong. She said to a person who was 
much displeased that her husband took part in the revo- 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 153 

lution, and was entangled in it, Be comforted, your hus- 
band will pass safely through the revolution, although 
with considerable loss. God will forcibly detach him 
from the connexions and employment in which he is 
engaged. He will become more tranquil than he has 
ever been. What I tell you is the truth. You may 
fully rely upon it. 

"Mrs. W. has been dead now more than sixteen 
years : every thing has been punctually fulfilled. She 
died in the sixty-third year of her age. 

"When Cagliostro was in S , she visited him 

several times. He immediately perceived that she saw 
into the invisible world, and practised all kinds of leger- 
demain in her presence, probably to hinder her from per- 
ceiving what he really was. She admired the greatness 
of his art, but regarded him as a necromancer,* of whom 
there are a greater number in the world, and even amongst 
christians, than is supposed. We read in the writings 
of Antoinette Bourignon, that this enlightened person; 
said the same thing of her times. The Devil has many 
real worshippers, and they will secretly increase, till at 
length they will openly show themselves under the reign 
of the Beast, and deceive the whole world. Lust and 

* Or rather, one that has dealings with evil spirits. 



154 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

riches are the chief means of deception. But they ful- 
fil the desires of their adherents, more by large promi- 
ses, than by the thing itself. Lies and deceit rule in 
the kingdom of darkness : truth and real enjoyment are 
alone to be found in the kingdom of light." 

Thus far my friend's letter. I pledge myself once 
more for the truth of the above narrative. I know the 
sincerity of every individual that has a part in it : others 
also have related it verbally to me. In short, it is cer- 
tainly and really true. 

Mrs. W was any thing but an enthusiast ; she was 
a pious and benevolent christian. Her placing no value 
upon her intercourse with the spiritual world, nor upon 
her gift of prescience, and her making no other use of it 
than to serve those that needed counsel and consolation, 
characterize her fully. Had she been an enthusiast, she 
would have acted quite otherwise ; she then would, with 
holy self-complacency, have declared herself, a poor un- 
worthy prophetess, and have occasioned much mischief. 

Her opinion of her intercourse with spirits, her 
counsel and her warning in such a case, are so truly and 
genuinely christian, that nothing can exceed it: for it 
cannot be too frequently said and repeated, that inter- 
course with the world of spirits, and all the discoveries 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C» 15.5 

and presages which result from it, are most dangerous 
things. He that falls into these circumstances without 
his own seeking, ought to endeavour, if possible, to 
withdraw himself from them, and if he cannot do that, 
he must act as Mrs. W. advised, incessantly watch and 
pray. 

A developed faculty of presentiment is not in accord- 
ance with divine, spiritual, or physical laws ; but is, in 
some measure, a disease, which we should endeavour to 
heal ; he that seeks, in any other manner, to develop it, 
commits the sin of sorcery. 

What Mrs. W. says of good and evil, and partially 
good, and partially evil spirits, is true and remarkable : 
#nd it accords exactly with the holy scriptures, and with 
experience. Her praying for the dead also deserves 
attention; it is again a new proof, that the individual, 
at death, does not enter straightway into heaven or hell, 
but is prepared for one or other of these abodes, a longer 
or a shorter time, according to his state; during which, 
he continues in Hades: perfect saints and perfect repro- 
bates alone, pass without stopping, to the place of their 
destination. 

That her gift of prescience was by no means any 
thing divine or prophetical, is clear from this, that she 



156 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

foresaw the most indifferent and insignifi cant events; for 
instance, when she received ordinary visits. 

Extremely remarkable and important is the magic 
operation of her will, by which she compelled her friend 
to come to her. The materialist langhs at such like 
tilings, and regards them as the most senseless enthusi- 
asm and the most stupid superstition, and yet the thing 
is true in itself, and founded on the nature of the world 
of spirits. God has deeply concealed this mystery of 
magic, because it might lead to the most dreadful abuses, 
in which case it becomes real sorcery. Let him that 
discovers it, for it may be obtained by certain arts, flee 
from it as from the avenging angel of death, for horrible 
things may result from it. This mystery reveals itself, 
when the developement of the faculty of presentiment 
has attained to a great height. 

This circumstance gives us a hint, how spirit can 
act upon spirit. But no more of this : the true sage will 
understand me ; he is aware of the difference between 
real divine magic and the black art, or infernal magic. 

What Mrs. W. says of the French revolution, and 
particularly of Admiral Coligny, is very remarkable. If 
she was not deceived in the matter, if she really saw that 
great and noble man, actively employed in a crimson 



OK FOREBODINGS, &C. 157 

robe, not shirt, it gives us an important key to the 
government of the world, for hence it follows, that the 
Lord makes use of the pious dead as instruments for the 
execution of important ends. 

Admiral Coligny was a powerful protector of the 
protestants (Hugonots) in France, towards the close 
of the sixteenth century, and one of the first of those, 
who were murdered at the bloody nuptials on St. Bar- 
tholomew's Eve, 1580, in his own apartment. Every 
one, whose eyes are in any manner opened, must perceive 
that the heinous and bloody persecutions of our brethren 
in the faith, in France, have been fearfully avenged in 
the revolution; nor would it be any thing very unnatu- 
ral, were Admiral Coligny employed on this occasion, 
although not to avenge, but to appease the retributive 
justice of the judge of the whole earth. 

The most remarkable instance of the dev elopement 
of the faculty of presentiment, is incontestibly the pre- 
diction of M. Cazotte, at a dinner in Paris. A favour- 
ite German periodical work has taken the liberty to 
ascribe the whole narrative to the invention of some in- 
genious idler; but this assertion is destitute of proof. I 
can prove, on the contrary, that it is literally and minutely 
true. I have spoken upon the subject with a person of 
rank, who sincerely loves the truth, and who was well 



158 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

acquainted with Cazotte: and this individual assured 
nie, that Cazotte was a man of great piety, and endowed 
with a high degree of knowledge; that he frequently 
predicted the most remarkable things, which were always 
fulfilled; and that he testified at the same time, that 
they were communicated to him by means of intercourse 
with spirits. 

The narrative before us was found amongst the pa- 
pers of the late M. La Harpe, in his own handwriting. 
This La Harpe was a member of the Royal Academy of 
Sciences, in Paris, that storehouse of satire on religion, 
and of Yoltarian absurdity! La Harpe himself was a 
freethinker, who believed nothing; but who, before his 
end, was thoroughly converted, and died in the faith and 
hope of the gospel. 

I will first relate the narrative in La Harpe's own 
words, and then add a few remarks, respecting its au- 
thenticity. He writes as follows : — i 

" It seems to me as if it were but yesterday, al- 
though it happened at the beginning of the year 1788. 
We were dining with one of our colleagues of the acad- 
emy, a man of genius and respectability. The company, 
which was numerous, was selected from all ranks ; cour- 
tiers, judges, learned men, academicians &c, and had 



\ 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 159 

done justice to the ample, and as usual, well -furnished 
repast. At the dessert, Malvasier and Constantia heigh- 
tened the festivity, and augmented in good society, that 
kind of freedom, which does not always keep itself within 
defined hounds. 

" The world was at that time arrived at such a pitch, 
that it was permitted to say any thing with the intention 
of exciting merriment. Chamfort had read to us some 
of his blasphemous and lascivious tales, and noble 
ladies had listened to them even without having recourse 
to their fans. After this followed a whole host of sar- 
casms on religion. One person quoted a tirade from 
Pucelle ; another reminded the company of that philo- 
sophical verse of Diderot's, in which he says, 'Strangle 
the last king, with the entrails of the last priest,' and all 
clapped applause. Another stood up, elevating a bum- 
per, and exclaimed, ' Yes gentlemen, I am just as cer- 
tain that there is no God, as I am certain, that Homer 
is a fool;' and in reality, he was as certain of one as the 
other ; for the company had just spoken of Homer and 
of God, and there were amongst the guests those, who 
had spoken well of both the one and the other. 

" The conversation now became more serious. The 
revolution that Voltaire had effected, was spoken of with 
admiration ; and it was agreed that it was this whicl* 



160 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

formed the principal basis of his fame. He had given 
the tone to his age ; he had written in such a manner, 
that he was read both in the antechamber and the draw- 
ing room. One of the company related to us, with a 
loud laugh, that his hair-dresser, whilst powdering him, 
said, 'Look Sir, although I am only a poor journeyman, 
yet I have no more religion than another.' It was con- 
cluded that the revolution would be completed without 
delay ; and that superstition and fanaticsm must make 
way for philosophy. The probable period was calculated, 
and which of the company would have the happiness of 
living during the reign of reason. The more aged la- 
mented that they dared not flatter themselves with the 
idea; the younger ones rejoiced at the probability that 
they would live to see it ; and the academy, in particu- 
lar, was congratulated on having prepared the great 
work, and for being the focus, the centre, and the prime 
mover of liberty of thought. 

" A single individual had taken no part in all this 
pleasant conversation, and had even very gently scat- 
tered some jokes upon their noble enthusiasm. It was 
M. Cazotte, an amiable and original man, but who, un- 
fortunately, was completely taken up with the reveries 
of those, who believe in a superior enlightening. He 
now took up the discourse, and said in the most serious 
tone, ' Gentlemen, rejoice, you will all become witnesses 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 161 

of that great and sublime revolution, which you so much 
desire. You know that I apply myself a little to pro- 
phecying ; I repeat it, you will all see it.' 

" There requires no prophetic gift for that purpose, 
was the reply. 



" True, rejoined he, but perhaps something more 
for what I am now going to tell you. Do you know 
what will result from this revolution ? (that is, when rea- 
son triumphs in opposition to revealed religion?) What 
it will be to you all, as many as are now here ; what will 
be its immediate consequences, its undeniable and ac- 
knowledged effects? 

t 

" Let us see, said Condorcet, putting on an air of 
simplicity, it is not disagreeable to a philosopher to meet 
with a prophet. - ' 

"You, M. Condorcet, continued M. Cazotte, you 
will give up the ghost, stretched out on the floor of a 
subterraneous prison ; you will die of poison, that you 
will have swallowed, in order to escape the executioner ; 
of poison, which the happiness of those times shall com- 
pel you always to carry about with you. 



162 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

"This, at first, excited great astonishment, but it 
was soon remembered, that the worthy Cazotte some- 
times dreamed waking, and the company burst out into 
a loud laugh. M. Cazotte, said one of the guests, the 
tale you relate to us is not near so amusing as your 
'Devil in Love, (Le Diable Amoureux is a pretty little 
romance, written by Cazotte). What devil has suggested 
to you the dungeon, the poison, and the executioner? 
What has this in common with philosophy and the reign 
of reason? 

"This is just what I tell you, replied Cazotte. In 
the name of philosophy, in the name of humanity, liberty, 
and reason, will it come to pass, that such will be your 
end: and reason will then certainly triumph, for she will 
have her temples ; nay, at that period, there will be no 
other temples in all France, than the temples of reason. 

"Truly, said Chamfort, with a sarcastic smile, you 
will be no priest of these temples. 

" Cazotte answered, I hope not: but you M. Cham- 
fort, who will be one of them, and are very worthy of 
being so, you will open your veins by twenty-two inci- 
sions of the razor, and yet you will die only some months 
afterwards. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 163 

f1 The company looked at each other, and laughed 
again. 

" Cazotte continued. You M* Vicq. d'Azyr, will 
not open your veins yourself, but will afterwards cause 
them to be opened six times in one day in an attack of 
the gout, in order to make the matter more sure, and 
you will die the same night* 

" You, M. Nicolai, will die upon the scaffold. 

" You M. Bailly, on the scaffold. 

" You M. Malesherbes, on the scaffold. 

" God be thanked, exclaimed M. Rancher, it ap- 
pears that M. Cazotte has only to do with the academi- 
cians; he has just made dreadful havoc amongst them. 
I, heaven be praised — 

" Cazotte interrupted him — You ? you will die on 
the scaffold also. 

" Ha ! this is a wager, resounded from all sides, he 
has sworn to exterminate us all. 



164 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

" Cazotte. — No, it is not I that have sworn it. 

" The Company. — Shall we be then under subjection 
to Turks and Tartars ? and yet — 

" Cazotte.— Nothing less. I have already told you, 
that you will then be under the government of philosophy 
and reason. Those that will treat you in this manner, 
will be all philosophers ; they will be continually making 
use of those very expressions, which you have been 
mouthing for the last hour; they will repeat all your 
maxims, and like you, will quote the verses of Diderot 
and Pucelle. 

" The guests whispered into each others ears, ' You 
see clearly that he has lost his reason,' (for whilst speak- 
ing thus, he continued very serious) ; ' Dont you see that 
he is joking? and in all his jests he mixes something of 
the wonderful.' ' Yes,' said Chamfort, ' but I must con- 
fess his wonders are not very pleasing, they are much 
too gallows-like. And when shall all this take place?' 

" Cazotte. — Six years shall not pass over, before 
all that I have told you shall be fulfilled. 

i f You tell us many wonderful things; it was this 



ON FOREBODINGS &C. 165 

time I, (La Harpe,) that spoke ; and do you say nothing 
of me ? 

" With respect to you, answered Cazotte, a won- 
der will take place that will be at least quite as remark- 
able. You will then be a christian. 

" A general exclamation ! Now I am at ease, said 
Chamfort, if we only perish when La Harpe is a chris- 
tian, we are immortal. 

" We of the female sex, said the Dutchess de Gram- 
mont, are fortunate in being reckoned as nothing in revo- 
lutions. When I say as nothing, I do not intend to say, 
that we do not interfere in them a little, but it is a gene- 
rally received maxim, that we, and those of our sex, are 
not deemed responsible on that account. 

" Cazotte. — Your sex, ladies, will be this time no 
protection to you ; and however little you may be desi- 
rous of interfering, yet you will be treated precisely as 
the men, and no difference will be made with respect to 
you. 

" The Dutchess.— But what is it you are telling us, 
M. Cazotte? You are certainly announcing the end of 
the world ! 



166 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

" Cazotte. — That I know not ; but what I do 
know is, that you, my lady Dutchess, will be drawn to 
the scaffold, you, and many other ladies with ygu, upon 
a hurdle, with your hands bound behind you. 

" The Dutchess. — I hope, however, in that case, 
that I shall have a mourning coach. 

*• Cazotte. — No, Madam! Ladies of higher rank 
than you, will be drawn upon a hurdle with their hands 
bound behind them. 

" The Dutchess. — Ladies of higher rank ? What, 
the princesses of the blood ? 

" Cazotte. — Of still higher rank. 

" A visible emotion now manifested itself through 
the whole company; and the master of the house as- 
sumed an air of displeasure. It began to be evident 
that the joke was carried too far. 






" The Dutchess de Grammont, in order to dispel 
the cloud, let the last reply drop, and contented herself 
with saying, in a most jocular tone, * You shall see, he 
will not even leave me the consolation of a confessor.' 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 167 

" Cazotte. — No Madam, none will be given, either 
to you, or any one else. The last sufferer to whom the 
favour of a confessor will be granted, — here he paused a 
moment. 

" The Dutchess. — Well, who will the fortunate 
mortal be, to whom this privilege will be granted ? 

" Cazotte. — It will be the only privilege he will 
still retain, and this will be the King of France ! 

* The master of the house now arose hastily from 
the table, and the whole company with him. He went 
to M. Cazotte and said, with deep emotion, 'My dear 
Cazotte, this lamentable joke has lasted long enough. 
You carry it too far, and to a degree in which you en- 
danger yourself, and the company in which you are.' 

" Cazotte made no reply, and was preparing to de- 
part, when the Dutchess de Grammont, who still en- 
deavoured to prevent the matter being taken in a serious 
light, and laboured to restore hilarity, went to him and 
said, ' Now, Mr. Prophet, you have told us all our for- 
tunes, but have said nothing of your own fate.' 

" He was silent, cast his eyes downwards, and then 



168 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

said, ' Have you ever read in Josephus, madam, the his- 
tory of the siege of Jerusalem V 

" The Dutchess. — Certainly; who has not read it? 
but do as though I had never read it. 

" Cazotte.— Well, Madam! during this siege, a 
man went seven successive days upon the walls round 
the town, in the sight of both the besiegers and the be- 
sieged, and cried out incessantly, with a mournful voice, 
4 Woe to Jerusalem ! Woe to Jerusalem !' On the seventh 
day, he cried, ' Woe to Jerusalem, and woe to myself 
also!' and in the same moment he was crushed to death 
by an immense stone, hurled from the enemy's engines. 

" After these words, M. Cazotte made his bow, and 
departed." Thus far La Harpe. 

Here every thing depends upon the whole of this 
narration being true or fictitious, written perhaps after 
its fulfilment ; for it is certainly true, that all those who 
were present at the dinner, lost their lives precisely in 
the manner here predicted by Cazotte. The person who 
gave the entertainment, to whom Cazotte prophesied 
nothing, and who was most probably the Duke de Chai- 
seul, was the only one that died a natural death. The 
worthy and pious Cazotte was guillotined. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C 169 

I ask every candid connoisseur, that knows how to 
distinguish that which is ideal from a true copy taken 
from nature, if this narrative can be a fabrication ? It 
has so many little shades and peculiarities, which would 
never have occurred to an inventor, and which he would 
not have regarded as necessary. And then where would 
have been the object of such a fabrication ? A free- 
thinker could not have invented it; because, by so doing, 
he would have been acting in complete opposition to his 
principles ; for he would thus be disseminating views to 
which he is a mortal enemy, and which he regards as the 
most stupid superstition. If it be supposed that a fanatic 
or an enthusiast had invented it, for the purpose of say- 
ing something striking, the nature of the narrative itself, 
which bears no resemblance to fiction, contradicts such 
a supposition, to which must be added the certainty that 
M. La Harpe wrote it with his own hand. It may be 
found in the " Oeuvres Choisies et Posthumes" of M. 
La Harpe, a celebrated member of the French Academy, 
published at Paris by Mignerol, in four volumes octavo, 
in 1806. 

It will scarcely occur to any one, that the editor of 
the papers left by this celebrated man, should have inter- 
polated such a document ; this would not seem like the 
conduct of the French and Parisian literati. It is cer- 
tain, demonstratively certain, that La Harpe himself 






170 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

wrote the narrative. This could not have occurred whilst 
he was still an infidel, for the reasons above-mentioned, 
nor can the idea arise in the mind of any one that is 
acquainted with the thorough conversion of this great 
man and freethinker, that he should have been guilty of 
such an irreverent act, as to fabricate such a thing whilst 
in that penitent state, in which he wept over his former 
life with tears of blood ; this would be morally impossi- 
ble. To make the matter public before his death, was 
not advisable at the time in which he died. Still less 
did the guests venture to relate it before and during the 
revolution. Yet still La Harpe found the thing so import- 
ant, and that very justly too, that he wrote it down and 
laid it in his desk till better times. 

A certain M. de N. has inserted the following 
statement in the Parisian journals, with reference to the 
above extraordinary prediction of M. Cazotte. He says, 
"that he was very well acquainted with this respectable 
old man, and had often heard him speak of the great 
distress, which would befall France, at a time when the 
people, in every part of France, lived in perfect security, 
and expected nothing of the kind. Cazotte asserted, 
that future events were revealed to him, through the 
medium of spirits. I will state to you, continues M. de 
N. a remarkable fact, which is of itself sufficient to es- 
tablish M. Cazotte as a prophet. Every one knows, 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 171 

that his great attachment to monarchy was the reason 
of his being sent to the Abbey on the 2nd of September, 
1792, and that he escaped from the murderers by the 
heroic courage of his daughter, who appeased the mob, 
by the moving spectacle of her filial affections. The 
very same mob, that would have put him to death, car- 
ried him home in triumph. All his friends came to congra- 
tulate him on his escape. M. D. who visited him after 
that guilty day, said to him, now you are safe ! I be- 
lieve not, answered Cazotte. In three days I shall be 
guillotined. M. D. replied, How can that be? Cazotte 
continued, Yes, my friend, in three days I shall die 
upon the scaffold. In saying this, he was deeply affected, 
and added, A short time before your arrival, I saw a 
gensd'armes enter, who was sent to take me, by an 
order from Pethion. I was compelled to follow him: 
I appeared before the Mayor of Paris, who sent me to 
the Conciergerie, from whence I came before the Revo- 
lutionary Tribunal. Thus, my friend, you see, (that is, 
from M. Cazotte's vision,) that my hour is come; and 
I am so persuaded of it, that I am arranging all my 
affairs. Here are papers, which I am very anxious 
should be handed over to my wife ; I request you to 
give them to her, and console her. 

" M. D. declared this was all folly, and left him 



172 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

with the conviction that his reason had suffered at the 
sight of the horrors he had escaped. 

" The next day he came again, but learnt that a 
gensd'armes had conducted M. Cazotte to the munici- 
pality. M. D. ran to Pethion; on arriving at the 
mayor's court, he learnt that his friend had just been 
sent to prison ; he hastened to him, but was told that he 
could not be spoken to, for he was to be judged by the 
Revolutionary Tribunal. Soon after, he learnt that 
his friend was condemned and executed." M. D. adds 
the writer, is a man who is worthy of all credit. He 
was still living in July, 1806. He related this narra- 
tive to many persons, and it seemed to me not 
unimportant to preserve the remembrance of it." So 
far the communication in the Paris papers. 

I have taken the whole of this remarkable relation 
from a small pamphlet, printed at Strasburg, by Silber- 
mann, the title of which is, " A Remarkable Prophecy 
concerning the Dreadful French Revolution, from the 
writings of the late Monsr. La Harpe, specially printed 
from the Religious Journal." 

A year ago, when I was in L ) I spoke with 

Baron Yon W., who is a man of great integrity, and had 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 1 73 

long resided in Paris. I related to him this wonderful 
narrative ; on which he told me that he had been well 
acquainted with M. Cazotte, that he was a pious man, 
and was noted for predicting many things, which were 
minutely fulfilled. 

This narrative is therefore most certainly and assu- 
redly true. If it be so, I then ask every reasonable and 
impartial individual if there exists, since the time of the 
apostles, a more remarkable and important testimony of 
the existence of the kingdom of spirits, and its influence 
on the visible world? I know of none. I should like 
to know how the materialist, when convinced of the fact, 
would explain the extraordinary phenomenon. It is 
really most singular, if a comet appear in the heavens, 
all eyes are immediately fixed upon it, and all that are 
fond of astronomy immediately study what course it 
takes, &c. If a new gas be discovered, every chemist is 
immediately on the alert to examine it. If a plant, an 
insect, or a stone be found, which has not been previ- 
ously known or described, what attention is excited, 
what a marvellous matter is made of it ! But as soon 
as appearances are spoken of, which only remotely give 
hints of the truths of the christian religion, of the dura- 
tion of the soul after death, of the existence of good and 
evil angels and spirits, and of their influence upon the 
visible world, appearances, which are a million times 



174 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

more important than all natural phenomena in the ma- 
terial world, they are passed by with a sarcastic sneer ♦ 
superstition and fanaticism is then the cry, and all who 
examine into, investigate, and rectify these things, are 
scoffed at and calumniated ; and the results of their in- 
vestigations, however true they may be, and however 
clearly demonstrated, are exclaimed against as trifling, 
extremely dangerous, and highly prejudicial to society, 
and are suppressed as much as possible ; whilst works 
that promote infidelity, and the falling away from Christ, 
and the lewdest romances, which poison, and as it were 
satanize the spirit, are suffered to take their course, nor 
is a single alarm sounded upon the occasion. 

My dear cotemporaries ! whence comes this shock- 
ing feeling, this horrible disgust of every thing, which 
may only remotely disclose to us something of the state 
of the soul after death ? From whence this bitterness 
against Christ and his most holy religion? Yes, bitterness! 
do not deny it. People are ashamed to mention his 
hallowed name in respectable society, but they speak 
with pleasure of the phantoms of the Grecian and Ro- 
man theology : it is well bred to converse upon them, 
and adorn their sonnets with them. My God, what in- 
fatuation, and what perverseness of that intellectual 
enlightening, which is so much boasted of ! 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 175 

However important, and I might say sacred, as 
Cazotte's prophecy is, yet we ought not, on this account, 
to place the worthy man in the rank of true Bible pro- 
phets. He was a pious man, whose faculty of presen- 
timent was developed in a high degree, but his religious 
feelings were the reason why he fell into connection, not 
so much with false, as with good spirits, from whom he 
learnt what would shortly take place. He was much 
about in the same situation as Mrs. W. whom I have 
mentioned in the preceeding narrative. 

But, by this, I do not mean to say that Cazotte 
was not a herald of God at this Belshazzar's feast, a 
hand that wrote upon the wall, with letters of flame, the 
words, Mene, Tekel, Urphasin. Providence made use 
of this serviceable instrument to arouse those sinners, 
that were thus sleeping on the mast head in the storm. 

What this voice of thunder may have wrought, is 
known only to the Omniscient : it may however have 
excited reflection in some instances ; and who knows, 
if not just in the most melancholy period of fulfilment, 
the remembrance of Cazotte's prophecy may not have 
been attended with happy effects ! Probably it was also, 
if not the immediate, yet the remote cause of La Harpe's 
conversion. 



176 ON FOREBODINGS, &C 

If the developed faculty of presentiment can only 
be instructed by information from the invisible world, 
concerning those things which are about to happen in a 
short time, and for which the foundation is already laid ; 
it appears difficult to explain how Cazotte could know, 
six years before, every thing so distinctly, even the 
number of incisions with the razor, the number of blood- 
lettings, &c. to which I reply, that the French revolution, 
in its results the most important event in the whole his- 
tory of the world, was planned many years before. I 
know from an eye-and-ear- witness, that just at the pe- 
riod, when Louis XVI. was affianced to Marie Antoi- 
nette of Austria, at the time when this marriage was 
concluded upon in Vienna, the fall of the royal family 
was determined, and this marriage -contract alone frus- 
trated its accomplishment. 

It is also very probable, that the inhabitants of the 
invisible world, and especially good angels and spirits, 
read in the tables of Providence, and are thus able to 
know, at least, certain future events. So much is clear 
from all the credible information from the invisible world, 
that every thing which takes place in the material world, 
is previously arranged there ; and that from thence, the 
whole human race is governed ; yet in such a manner, 
that the freewill of man is not under compulsion. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 177 

I now descend from the higher stage of the devel- 
oped faculty of presentiment to an inferior one ; whilst 
I purpose enquiring, what opinion ought to be formed 
of what is called " Second-sight," and what ought to be 
believed or disbelieved concerning it. 

When a person resides for a while in the villages, 
amongst the lower orders, he will occasionally hear of 
some grave-digger, watchman, attendant upon the dead, 
nurse, &c. or of some one else, that can foresee funerals. 
This second-sight generally manifests itself as follows : — 
the individual feels himself impelled, generally in the 
night time, to go out towards the neighbourhood of the 
house, out of which the corpse is to be brought; he then 
sees the procession with all, even the minutest of its de- 
tails. There is no doubt, but that much dreaming and 
delusion is mingled with the matter, but the thing itself 
is correct, and is certainly true. 

In my younger days, there was a dinner given in 
the village where I was born, on the occasion of a bap- 
tism, to which the clergyman, a very worthy man, was 
invited. During dinner, the conversation turned upon 
the grave-digger- of the place, who was well known, par- 
ticularly on account of his second-sight, and even feared; 
for as often as he saw a corpse, he was always telling 
that there would be a funeral, out of such and such a 



178 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

house. Now, as the event invariably took place, the in- 
habitants of the house he indicated were placed, by the 
man's tale, in the greatest dilemma and anxiety, particu- 
cularly if there was any one in the house who was ill or 
sickly, whose death might probably be hastened if the 
prediction were not concealed from him, which, however, 
generally took place. 

This man's prophecies were an abomination to the 
clergyman. He forbad it, he reproved, he scolded, but 
all to no purpose ; for the poor doit, although he was a 
drunkard, and a man of low and vulgar sentiments, be- 
lieved firmly that it was a prophetic gift of God, and 
that he must make it known, in order that the people 
might still repent. At length, as all reproof was in vain, 
the clergyman gave him notice, that if he announced one 
funeral more, he should be deprived of his place, and ex- 
pelled the village. This availed, the grave-digger was 
silent from that time forwards. Half a year afterwards, 
in autumn, about the year 45 of the last century, the 
grave-digger comes to the clergyman and says, " Sir, 
you have forbidden me to announce any more funerals, 
and I have not done so since, nor will I do so any more ; 
but I must now tell you something that is particularly 
remarkable, that you may see that my second-sight is 
really true: in a few weeks a corpse will be brought 
up the meadow, which will be drawn on a sledge 



i 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 179 

by an ox." The clergyman seemingly paid no attention 
to this, but listened to it with in difference, and replied, 
" Only go about your business, and leave off such su- 
perstitious follies ; it is sinful to have any thing to do 
with them." 

The thing nevertheless appeared extremely singular 
and remarkable to the clergyman ; for in my country, a 
corpse being drawn on a sledge by an ox, is most dis- 
graceful, because the bodies of those that commit suicide, 
and notorious malefactors, are thus drawn on sledges. 

Some weeks after, a strong body of Austrian troops 
passed through the village on their way to the Nether- 
lands. Whilst resting there a day, the snow fell nearly 
three feet deep. At the same time, a woman died in 
another village of the same parish. The military took 
away all the horses out of the country to drag their wag- 
gons \: meanwhile the corpse laid there, no horses came 
back, the corpse began to putrify, the stench became 
intolerable; they were, therefore, compelled to make a 
virtue of necessity, to place the corpse upon a sledge, 
and harness an ox to it. 

In the mean time, the clergyman, and the school- 
master with his scholars, proceeded to the entrance of the 
village, to meet the corpse; and as the funeral came 



180 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

along the meadow in this array, the grave-digger step- 
ped up to the clergyman, pulled him by the gown, 
pointed with his finger to it, and said not a word. 

Such was the tale, with all its circumstances, as re- 
lated by the clergyman. I was well acquainted with the 
good man, he was incapable of telling an untruth ; much 
less in a matter which contradicted all his principles. 

Another history of this kind, for the truth of which 
I can vouch, was related to me by my late father, and 
his brother, both very pious men, and to whom it would 
have been impossible to have told a falsehood. 

Both of them had business, on one occasion, in the 
"Westphalian province of Mark, when they were invited 
to dinner at the protestant preacher's. During the re- 
past, the subject of second-sight was likewise brought 
upon the carpet. The minister spoke of it with acri- 
mony, because he had also a grave-digger, who was af- 
flicted with that evil, he had often and repeatedly forbid- 
den him from mentioning it, but all to no purpose. 

On one occasion, the prognosticates came to the 
minister and said, " I have to tell you, Sir, that in a 
short time, there will be a funeral from your house, and 
you will have to follow the coffin before ail the other fu * 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 181 

neral attendants." Terror, anger, and displeasure, got 
so much the better of the good pastor, that he drove the 
thoughtless fellow out of the door ; for his wife was near 
her confinement: and notwithstanding every rational 
view which he took, he passed a very melancholy time 
of it, till at length his wife was safely delivered, and out 
of all danger. He now reproached the grave-digger 
most bitterly, and said, " See now, how unfounded thy 
reveries have been!" But the corpse-seer only smiled 
and said, " Sir, the matter is not yet finished." 

Immediately afterwards, the preacher's servant-maid 
died of an apoplexy. Now it is the custom there for the 
master of the house, on such occasions, immediately to 
follow the coffin, before the next relatives ; but this time, 
the preacher endeavoured to avoid it, in order to confound 
the corpse-seer. He did not venture, however, to offend 
the parents of the deceased, which he would have done 
most grossly, if he had not followed the coffin. He found, 
therefore, a suitable excuse in the circumstance, that his 
wife, who, according to the custom prevalent there, was 
then to go to church for the first time after her confine- 
ment, should take his place, and he would then accom- 
pany the schoolmaster and his scholars, as was usual. 



i 



This was discussed and agreed upon, and the pa- 
rents were likewise satisfied with it. On the dav when 



182 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

the funeral was to take place, the company assembled 
at the parsonage. The coffin stood in the porch on a 
bier; the schoolmaster, with his scholars, stood in a cir- 
cle in the front of the house and sang; the minister was 
just going out to his appointed place, his wife stepped 
behirid the coffin, and the bearers laid ho]d of the bier, 
when that very moment, the minister's wife fell down in 
a fit. She was taken into a room, and brought again to 
herself, but she was so ill that she could not go to church, 
and the minister was so terrified by this accident, that 
it no longer occurred to him to make the grave-digger 
into a liar ; but he stepped very quietly behind the cof- 
fin, as the prognosticator would have it. 

The circumstance of the minister's wife falling into 
a fit, and its taking place just there and then, might 
proceed from very natural causes; but this does not 
detract from the remarkableness of the thing, the pre- 
diction was, at all events, punctually fulfilled. 

As the developed faculty of presentiment is a capa- 
bility of experiencing the arrangements, which are made 
in the world of spirits, and executed in the visible world, 
second-sight certainly belongs also under this head. 
And as those that possess this capability are generally sim- 
ple people, it again follows from hence, that a developed 
faculty of presentiment is by no means a quality, which 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 183 

belongs solely to devout and pious people, or that it 
should be regarded as a divine gift ; I take it on the 
contrary, for a disease of the soul, which we ought rather 
to endeavour to heal than promote. 

He that has a natural disposition for it, and then 
fixes his imagination long and intensely, and therefore 
magically upon a certain object, may at length be able, 
with respect to this object, to forsee things which have 
reference to it. Grave-diggers, nurses, and such as are 
employed to undress and shroud the dead, watchmen, 
and the like, are accustomed to be continually reflecting 
on objects which stand in connexion with death and 
interment; what wonder, therefore, if their faculty of 
presentiment at length develope itself on these subjects ! 
and I am almost inclined to maintain, that it may be 
promoted by drinking ardent spirits. 

It is highly incumbent upon the police to forbid 
such people, upon pain of imprisonment, even to reveal 
what they have seen ; and if it be of such a nature, that it 
may be regarded as a providential warning, let them tell 
it only to him who is to be warned. It must, however, be 
well observed, that Providence will rarely make use of 
such corrupt and superstitious instruments. 

There is a great difference between Mrs. W., Ca- 



184 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

zotte, and persons of that description, and between these 
second-sighted individuals. The wise and enlightened 
christian is well aware how he ought to regard things of 
this nature, and what use to make of them, 
i 
In the second section of the II. vol. of the Maga- 
zine for Experimental Psychology, mention is made of a 
respectable individual, to whom the countenances of 
those who are soon to die, appear as if they had already 
laid some days in the grave, and that this presentiment 
is disagreeable to him. 

I have already said, that the developed faculty of 
presentiment experiences the result of arrangements, 
which are made in the invisible world, and not these ar- 
rangements themselves. This result must be made sen- 
sible, in order to pass over into the consciousness of the 
sensible man. Now this always happens according to 
the pre-disposition of the man's nature ; second-sighted 
individuals view tilings in their own imagination in as 
lively a manner, as though they saw them in reality : 
spirits communicate information to others, as was the 
case with Mrs. W. and Cazotte : in the instance above- 
mentioned, this result produced the appearance of death 
in the visages of those that were candidates for the tomb. 

I could adduce still more undoubted facts of this 



CIS FOREBODINGS, &C. 1S5 

kind; but in order to avoid prolixity, the above may 
suffice. It is strange and extremely remarkable, that 
people do not pay attention to such very important oc- 
currences, but pass by them with contempt. Appear- 
ances, which cannot be explained on the basis of mere 
sensible reasoning, are certainly the most important of 
all ; because they point out to us the way to that, which 
is above the senses, which for men, whose noblest part 
is super-sensible, is of inexpressible value. 

It must be of infinite importance to every reasona- 
ble mind, to know with certainty, whether what the Bi- 
ble teaches of God, of the fall of the first man, of re- 
demption by Jesus Christ, of the spiritual world, and its 
influence on the material world, and of the existence of 
the soul after death, be true or not true, well or ill- 
founded. 

This question is of extreme importance, because the 
present prevailing rationalism, by its mechanic philoso- 
phy, in part denies it altogether, and in part doubts it ; 
thereby robbing mankind, in a direct manner, of the most 
valuable consolation, and of that precious hope, of which 
they so much stand in need. Let the following remark 
be thoroughly and impartially considered, investigated, 
and digested. 



186 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

If, in every age, there have been many real instan- 
ces of rationally upright and pious men having testified 
that they had intercourse with beings from the world of 
spirits : if these beings relate events to them, which are 
either taking place at a distance, or which will take place 
in future, and which the natural man cannot possibly know 
from all that surrounds him, and operates upon him in 
the visible world : and if these events are most punctu- 
ally fulfilled, is not the existence of a world of spirits, its 
sympathy with the fall of man, and its influence upon 
them, even as incontestibly proved, as the existence of 
electric matter, galvanism, magnetism, and the sympathy 
and influence of those powers upon material nature ? 

But as materialism, with its pretended illumina- 
tion, directly contradicts these undoubted facts, its 
assertions, with reference to the world of spirits, and the 
influence which the latter exercises upon the visible 
world, must be totally false. 

Further, as all incidents of this nature, which have 
occurred, or have been observed from time immemorial 
to the present, (in so far as they are removed from phan- 
tasma and enthusiasm,) are in minute accordance with 
divine revelation, and are, so to speak, a continued 
revelation : the one, therefore, confirms the truth of the 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 187 

other, and consequently also the truth of the christian 
religion, according to the ancient apostolic system. 

Now, from all this it follows, undeniably, that we 
ought most minutely and thoroughly to examine and in- 
vestigate every appearance from the invisible world, with 
candour and impartiality, in order to be able to distin- 
guish, with certainty, that which is true, from that which 
is false, illusion and deception from reality, and the play 
of imagination from the essential presence of a spirit. 

In this way, we shall attain to the pure and un- 
mingled light of truth, and also to a tranquilizing con- 
viction with respect to religion, which has sustained so 
rude a shock from materialism. But obvious and simple 
as this axiom may be, it has, however, been hitherto 
little followed. Every one, even the most simple, must 
perceive that such appearances are of extreme importance, 
and that it is, therefore, an imperious duty to examine 
into the truth of them. The causes which have preven- 
ted this examination, are three. 

First. — The panic fear which seizes all men, even 
the most courageous, when they see something to which 
they cannot assign a place in the visible world, prevents 
all approach, and divests them of all courage for calm in- 
vestigation. 



V 



188 OX FOREBODINGS, &€. 

Secondly. — Superstition, by which by far the great- 
est part of mankind is governed, believes every de- 
ception, and takes every phantom for a real apparition ; 
and because it thus firmly believes, it therefore deems 
any further examination or investigation useless. And 

Thirdly, — With infidelity, it is system and princi- 
ple to believe nothing whatever, that regards superna- 
tural things. It has been decided, once for all, that 
there is no world of spirits, or if there be, that it stands 
in no relation to us, it has no influence upon us, nor 
upon the visible world that surrounds us, consequently, 
all is deceit and delusion, and unworthy of investigation. 
It is however no good sign, that this investigation, or 
the belief in presentiments, visions, and apparitions is 
branded with opprobrium, and does no honor to enlight- 
ened rationalism, for it is a sure proof, that danger 
threatens it from thence, and that on that side it may 
be easily overcome. 

I hope that my meaning in all this will be rightly 
apprehended, and that I shall not be misunderstood ; 
the true believer needs no such testimony from the in- 
visible world : he possesses the Bible and the blissful 
experience, that the true religion of Christ has manifes- 
ted itse]f as truth in his heart ; and he would act very 
criminally, if he suffered himself to be misled by pre- 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 139 

sumptuous curiosity, to seek intercourse with the invi- 
sible world on this side the grave. But if this inter- 
course comes of itself, by the developement of his facul- 
ty of presentiment, let him not regard it as any thing 
extraordinary, but supplicate wisdom to be able to act 
with it according to the will of God. But if any tiring 
of a peculiar nature appear to him, let him go up to it 
undismayed, in the name and fear of God, not from 
criminal curiosity, but in compassionate charity; let him 
then examine it closely and rationally, and if it really 
be a being from the other world, let him ask with the 
solemn dignity of a christian, and in the name of God 
and Jesus Christ, w 7 hat it desires ? If the spirit then ex- 
press itself in such a manner, that he finds it is still in 
error, he must seek to teach it better ; but if it desire 
any thing reasonable, let him fulfill its desire to the best 
of his ability. In the following division of the work, 
which treats solely and wholly of the appearance of spi- 
rits, I will communicate, for the information of the stu- 
dious reader, very remarkable instances of this kind. 
I also advise the candid, though incredulous sceptic, to 
calm investigation; for there is really nothing more ne- 
cessary than the application of every possible means to 
obtain increasing certainty in a matter so inexpressibly 
important. 

Finally. — I leave it to the consideration of every 



190 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

rational mind, whether a creation, which is governed by 
intelligences, by free and rational beings, is not more 
worthy of God, and more beneficial and agreable to man, 
than a world, which, with all the human race, is under 
subjection to the adamantine and unchangeable jurisdic- 
tion of material powers. 

What is denominated witchcraft or enchantment, 
and the belief or superstitious faith in it, is also sunk 
down from its height into the dust, since the times of 
Becker and Thomasius. As this subject also stands 
connected with the developed faculty of presentiment, it 
is worth the while, and incumbent upon me, to inves- 
tigate it closely and impartially, and according to truth. 

It is certain, from a variety of instances, that those 
whose faculty of presentiment is developed, may enter 
into connexion and intercourse with spirits. This I 
have proved in the preceding pages, and will further de- 
monstrate it. 

It is quite as certain, that those spirits, with which 
such a person comes into connexion, bear an affinity to 
him, with reference to his moral character. Good spirits 
join themselves to the good, wicked to the wicked, and 
partially good and evil to those that are partially good 
and evil. Yet evil spirits, in the guise of angels of light, 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 191 

seek also to deceive good men; whilst good angels sel- 
dom associate with people whose faculty of presentiment 
is developed, because this is contrary to nature and the 
divine order, unless such persons are far advanced in 
sanctification. All these are unquestionable experimental 
truths, as I will more convincingly show in the sequel. 

That wicked men, either from a natural pre-dispo- 
sition, or by means of certain arts, are capable of devel- 
oping their faculty of presentiment, and thus forming 
connexions with evil spirits, does not admit of a doubt ; 
but whefher evil spirits have still that power, which su- 
perstition ascribes to them, is another question. Since 
the conquest and triumph of our ever-blessed Redeemer, 
their tyranny and despotism over mankind have ceased.; 
those only are in bondage to them, who voluntarily let 
themselves be led and misled by them : wicked and im - 
pious men are in their power, but still only as long as 
they themselves are willing to be so. Evil spirits also 
strive with all kinds of weapons against true christians, 
(Ephes. vi.) but they can never, conquer, unless by the 
man's own fault. Resist the devil, and he will flee from 
you. He carries on his work only in the children of 
disobedience, and in them he continues to exercise his 
power. 

Therefore supposing there are those, who stand in 



192 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

connexion with evil spirits, and are able to unite with 
them for the purpose of injuring others, yet it is utterly 
impossible for them to succeed in the attempt. Satan 
cjmjmjure_no man, nor hurt a single hair of hi s hea d i un- 
less he himself give occasion to JLk_^jid _open the door for_ 
him. What is commonly believed concerning bewitch- 
ing, and that a variety of diseases and bodily ailments, 
both in men and cattle, are occasioned by witchcraft, is 
superstition, and commonly either delusion and deceit, 
or a malady and casualty, which physicians have been 
hitherto unable to explain from natural causes. Since 
Jesus Christ has sat down on the throne of the Majesty 
on high, at his Father's right hand, Satan has no longer 
power over the human race, whom he has purchased with 
his precious blood. 



Witches and wizards can therefore injure no one, 
by their connexion with evil spirits, but they may do so, 
like any other wicked men, by administering poison, or 
any other pernicious thing. 



i 



But whether a period may not still arrive, in which 
Satan will be left at full liberty to try, by means of his 
instruments, all his might and power, in order thus to 
become fully ripe for judgment, and prove the fidelity of 
the true worshippers of God, by a conflict even unto 



OX FOREBODINGS, &C. 193 

blood, is another question. It is altogether a different 
affair from what is generally termed witchcraft. 

In order to give my readers a correct idea of this 
infamous subject, I will relate to them its history and 
its true character. 

Our ancient heathen forefathers had an order of 
priests, whose members were called Druids. These 
priests had a variety of mysteries, rites, and sacrifices, 
which they celebrated in the gloom of oaken forests, and 
of which the vulgar were to remain in ignorance. It is 
very probable, that in these practices, particularly be- 
fore the time of Christ, much connexion with wicked 
spirits, and satanic influence prevailed. 

Into this mysterious, spiritual order, old women 
were also received, who, by this means, attained to con- 
siderable rank, and became priestesses. Such an indi- 
vidual then received the title of Haxa — Druidess. 
Both these names were, at that time, honorable appel- 
lations, they are now the most disgraceful terms of re- 
proach. The name of Gertrude or Gertrudis is probably 
also derived from this source, and ^ought reasonably to 
be disused ; for it has the same meaning with the word 
Haxa, or Hexe, a witch. 

. o 



194 OX FOREBODINGS, &C. 

These witches assisted at the solemnities of the 
Druids ; they had also a particular solemnity of their 
own, and a sacrificial feast, which was always celebra- 
ted on a lofty mountain on the night of the first of May, 
when they danced, feasted, and honored their heathen 
deities. The Brocken or Blocksberg, perhaps also 
Bocksberg in the Hartz, was particularly famous, and 
there the idol was worshipped under the figure of a large 
goat. In general, the office of these Druids consisted 
in pronouncing benedictions, in conjurations, enchant- 
ing, and disenchanting, but chiefly in preparing medi- 
cines and healing diseases. Hence a certain number of 
witches were always obliged to go with the army in war- 
time, to heal the wounded. It is easy to conceive, that 
where superstition, error, ignorance, and even wicked- 
ness prevailed, in such a high degree, evil spirits had 
free operation, and to what abominations such heathens 
might be seduced. 

In the south of Germany, Christianity gradually 
gained ground ; but in the north, in Upper and Lower 
Saxony, two provinces, which at that time composed the 
greatest part of X orthern Germany, heathenism continued 
in all its force, till Charlemagne at length totally con- 
queredXhe Saxons, and compelled them, sword in hand, 
to accept the christian faith. But this very compulsion i 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 195 

was the reason, that though they publicly assisted at the 
christian form of divine worship, yet they secretly long 
continued their heathenish rites, till the light of the gos- 
pel gradually dispelled all the darkness. 

The witches remained the longest in activity; for 
as the people were still destitute of physicians, and could 
therefore have recourse to no one, nor had so much con- 
fidence -in any one as in them, they therefore applied to 
them on all occasions, when they required their assist- 
ance ; enchanting and disenchanting, blessing, conjuring 
of spirits, &c. continued to be practised; and as the 
witches believed they could not perform the one, if the 
other were not united with it, they therefore continued, 
though secretly, their sacrificial feasts onWalburg's night, 
at the Blocksberg, notwithstanding it was prohibited on 
pain of being burnt alive. It is asserted, from real traces 
having been discovered, that these meetings were conti- 
nued till the commencement of the seventeenth century. 

Several years ago, there appeared a book, entitled 
Uhuhu, or the history of witches, ghosts, goldfmders, 
and apparitions, published by George Adam Kayser — 
Erfurt, 1785, in which the anonymous author furnishes 
extracts from ancient criminal documents and processes. 
These, it is true, show the irrational and revolting me- 
thods of procedure at that time, against those poor crea- 



196 ON FOREBODINGS, &C, 

tures that were suspected of witchcraft, compelling themy 
by torture, to confess things of themselves and others, 
which had previously never entered into their minds ; 
but notwithstanding all this, there are also numerous vo- 
luntary confessions, from which the candid and impar- 
tial reader may clearly perceive, that a most corrupt 
imagination, filled with the most impure and abominable 
ideas, was united to a developed faculty of presentiment, 
by means of which, the wretched creatures had con- 
nexion and intercourse with wicked and impure spirits, 
who promised them all sorts of fine things, deceived them 
in all manner of ways, made them believe they could oc- 
casionally do wonders, and by this means injure those 
whom they had a spite against ; but at the bottom it was 
all juggling and delusion. 

I will not deny, that such wretches have occasion- 
ally done their fellow creatures much harm, and that evil 
spirits have assisted them, both in word and deed ; but 
Satan cannot injure any one directly, nor do so by means 
of such wicked instruments, when the individual himself 
does not give him an opportunity of doing so, by laying 
aside the fear of God. 

I am acquainted with a tale, for the truth of which 
I can vouch, because it is taken from the official docu- 
ments of an old witch process. An old woman was im- 

< 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 197 

prisoned, put to the torture, and confessed all that witches 
are generally charged with. Amongst others, she also 
denounced a neighbour of hers, who had been with her 
on the Blocksberg, the preceeding Wallburg's night. 
This woman was called, and asked if it were true, what 
the prisoner said of her? On which she stated, that on 
Wallburg's Eve, she had called upon this woman, because 
she had something to say to her. On entering her . 
kitchen, she found the prisoner busy in preparing a de- 
coction of herbs. On asking her what she was boiling, 
she said with a smiling and mysterious mien, " Wilt 
thou go with me to-night to the Brocken?" From cu- 
riosity, and in order to ascertain what there was in the 
matter, she answered, " Yes, I should like to go well 
enough." On which, the prisoner chattered some time 
about the feast, and the dance, and the enormous goat. 
She then drank of the decoction, and offered it to her, 
saying, " There, take a hearty drink of it, that thou 
mayest be able to ride through the air ; she likewise put 
the pot to her mouth, and made as if she drank of it, but 
did not taste a drop. During this, the prisoner had put 
a pitchfork between her legs, and placed herself upon the 
hearth ; that she soon sank down, and began to sleep and 
snore : after having looked on for some time, she was at 
length tired of it, and went home. 

The next morning, the prisoner came to her and said, 



198 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

" Weil, how dost thou like being at the Brocken ? Sith, 
there were glorious doings." On which she had laughed 
heartily, and told her that she had not drank of the po- 
tion, and that she, the prisoner, had not been at the 
Brocken, hut had slept with her pitchfork upon the 
hearth. That the woman on this became angry, and 
said to her that she ought not to deny having been at 
the Brocken, and having danced, and kissed the goat. 

This fact gives us a key to the otherwise incom- 
prehensible confessions of those called witches. This 
must have been one of the magic potions of the ancient 
Druids, by means of which, an imagination already en- 
tirely filled with devilish imagery, might through the 
sleep occasioned by the potion, become so elevated, as 
to make the poor deluded women firmly believe,* that all 
they dreamed was reality. In this way, almost every 
thing which occurs in these judicial proceedings, may be 
explained, though otherwise incredible. 

Such persons ought to be taught better, and to be 
convinced of the abominable nature of such habits of 
thinking. If they are convicted of having done harm to 
their neighbour, which ought not however to be brought 
about by torture, let them be punished according to the 
measure of their crime ; but not as witches. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 199 

Here I must allude to a vice, which is very preva- 
lent amongst the lower class, and which, in my eyes, is 
more detestable than witchcraft itself; that is, when one 
person, from a mere unfounded supposition, causes 
another to be suspected of witchcraft. This is horrible! 
I have known several instances, where the peasant women, 
merely from hatred or envy, have caused the sus- 
picion of witchcraft to attach to some honest and pious 
neighbour of theirs, when perhaps a cow gave bloody 
milk, or something ailed a child. Such a suspicion 
spreads like a pestilential vapour from ear to ear, in 
every direction, and then the whole earthly happiness of 
the innocent family is at an end. Every one avoids 
them ; no one associates, without necessity, with any of 
its members : people are afraid to buy of them, or deal 
with them, and no one likes to marry into the family. 
Now does not the individual that raises such a suspicion? 
commit the sin of sorcery? Such satanic beings deserve 
being burned, sooner than a poor witch. 

Christ says expressly, that he will measure unto 
every one that judges thus uncharitably, with the same 
measure, which he has used to his neighbour : that is, 
he that declares a fellow-creature to be a sorcerer or a 
witch, shall be judged as such himself. 

When we read the late M. Eckhartshausen's Key to 



200 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

Magic, we must feel astonished at the wonderful things, 
which may be effected by art : but we discover also the 
dim line of demarcation between the visible and the in- 
visible world. 

In the second edition of his book, published at 
Munich, by Jos. Lentner, 1791, page 57, he relates a 
most remarkable and instructive incident. To insert it 
here entirely in his own words, would exceed my limits ; 
I will therefore content myself with quoting the sub- 
stance of it. 

Eckhartshausen became acquainted with a Scots- 
man, who, though he meddled not with the conjuration 
of spirits, and such like charlatanry, had learned how- 
ever a remarkable piece of art from a Jew, which he 
communicated also to Eckhartshausen, and made the 
experiment with him, which is surprising and worthy of 
perusal. He that wishes to raise, and see any particu- 
lar spirit, must prepare himself for it, for some days to- 
gether, both spiritually and physically. There are also 
particular and remarkable requisites and relations neces- 
sary betwixt such a spirit and the person who wishes to 
see it; relations, which cannot otherwise be explained, 
than on the ground of the intervention of some secret 
influence from the invisible world, After all these pre- 
parations, a vapour is produced in a room, from certain 






OX FOREBODINGS, <$CC. _ 201 

materials, which Eckhartshausen with propriety does not 
divulge, on account of the dangerous abuse which might 
be made of it, which visibly forms itself into a figure, 
which bears a resemblance to that which the person 
wishes to see. In this there is no question of any magic 
lantern or optical artifice ; but the vapour really forms 
a human figure, similar to that which the individual de- 
sires to behold. I will now insert the conclusion of the 
story in Eckhartshausen's own words. 

" Some time after the departure of the stranger, 
that is of the Scotsman, I made the experiment for one 
of my friends. He saw as I did, and had the same sen- 
sations. 

" The observations that we made, were these. As 
soon as the ingredients were thrown into the chafing- 
dish, a whitish body forms itself, that seems to hover 
above the chafing-dish as large as life. 

" It possesses the likeness of the person whom we 
wished to see, only the visage is of an ashy paleness. 

" On approaching the figure, one is conscious of a 
resistance similar to what is felt, when going against 
a strong wind, which drives one back. 



202 OX IOREBODIXGS, &C. 

*? If one speaks with it, one remembers no more 
distinctly what is spoken ; and when the appearance 
vanishes, one feels as if awaking from a dream. The 
head is stupified, and a contraction is felt in the abdo- 
men. It is also very singular, that the same appearance 
presents itself, when one is in the dark, or when looking 
upon dark objects. 

" The unpleasantness of this sensation was the 
reason, why I was unwilling to repeat the experiment, 
although often urged to do so by many persons. 

" A young gentleman once came to me, and would 
par force see this phenomenon. As he was a person of 
tender nerves and lively imagination, I was the more re- 
luctant to comply with his request, and asked the advice 
of a very experienced physician, to whom I revealed the 
whole mystery. He maintained that the narcotic ingre- 
dients, which formed the vapour, must of necessity vio- 
lently affect the imagination, and might be very injuri- 
ous according to circumstances ; he also believed that 
the preparation which was prescribed, contributed much 
to excite the imagination, and told me to make the trial 
for myself, with a very small quantity, and without any 
preparation whatever. I did so one day after dinner, 
when the physician had been dining with me : but scarce- 
ly had I cast the quantum of ingredients into the chafing 



OX FOREBODINGS, &C. 203 

dish, when a figure presented itself. I was however, 
seized with such a horror, that I was obliged to leave 
the room. I was very ill during three hours, and thought 
I saw the figure always before me. Towards evening, 
after inhaling the fumes of vinegar, and drinking it with 
water, I was better again : but for three weeks after- 
wards, I felt a debility ; and the strangest part of the 
matter is, that when I remember the circumstance, and 
look for some time upon any dark object, this ashy pale 
figure stills presents itself very vividly to my sight. Af- 
ter this, I no longer dared to make any experiments 
with it, 

" The same stranger gave me also another powder, 
and asserted that if it were burnt in a churchyard, during 
the night, a multitude of the dead would be seen hover- 
ing over the graves : but as this powder consisted of 
narcotic ingredients, which were still more potent, I 
never ventured to make the attempt. 

" Be the matter, however, as it may, it is still sin- 
gular, and deserves the investigation of naturalists. I 
have already procured the opinion of several learned men 
and friends, and made no secret to them of the ingredi- 
ents, but do not find it advisable to make them public. 
I annex a striking and remarkable letter, from a man of 
profound reflection, regarding this phenomenon. 



204 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

" Extract from a letter, dated W , 17th Dee, 

1785. 



" t Thus there are, really, things in nature 

of which our philosophy does not permit us to dream. 
The Deity has concealed much from mortals, and the 
Eternal has with reference to us, affixed his immutable 
seal upon many of nature's mysteries. All is not imagi- 
nation, much may he reality ; for remember, dear sir, 
that at one time immense oceans were the divisions that 
separated us from men, whom Europeans knew not, and 
that there are similar walls of partition between us and 
other beings, of whom we mortals have hitherto no idea. 
Much may be deceit and delusion, but assuredly all is 
not so. Sweden oorg and Falck were certainly no de- 
ceivers, and yet their existence is to us a mystery, and 
will perhaps remain so to many, till the grapes are ripe 
on the vine, and the time of the vintage arrives. I 
would not wish to number Schroepffer and Boehmer with 
the two former, although much respecting them is still 
enigmatical to me. Man has invented ships, and com- 
menced an intercourse with unknown nations that dwell 
beyond the seas; why should it be impossible to form a 
connexion with the world of spirits, since all is a chain, 
and all makes a whole?'" 

So far Eckhartshausen. "What he savs further is 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 205 

remarkable, but too prolix to be inserted here. The 
powder especially, that was to cause the dead to be seen 
in the churchyards, is extremely remarkable. I know 
to a certainty, and my venerable friend PfefFel knows it 
likewise, from a remarkable incident, that there are men, 
whose faculty of presentiment is so developed, with res- 
pect to the organ of vision, that they see vapoury forms 
of human resemblance above the graves, occasionally in 
the day time, but more frequently in the night. I am of 
opinion that this is the resurrection-germ, which no phy- 
sical power of nature can destroy. But the reason why 
those who have this faculty of seeing it, see only a few, 
and by no means all, because the whole atmosphere 
must be filled with them, is probably this, that this germ 
is much more gross and material in one than another. It 
is not however probable, that the departed soul resides 
in it, but that it clothes itself with it, when intending to 
appear to any one. 

So much appears to me to be evident, that the ter- ; 
rible vapour that forms itself into a human figure, pro- 
duces this figure in the brain, because it shews itself long , 
afterwards, when looking at any thing black, or closing 
the eyes ; but it is also equally probable, that an appa- 
rition from the invisible world, or something from its 
confines, mixes with it, because in the churchyards, it is 



206 C& FOREBODINGS, &C. 

not merely one, but several figures which, are visible, and 
it is, once for all, a certain fact, that the resur- 
rection-germs, for so I will at present call them, are there, 
not in imagination, but really and essentially. 

It is also remarkable, that those fine substances 
which approach near to the world of spirits, are preju- 
dicial to health. They therefore act like the cherub's 
circling sword of flame, which restrains the presumption 
of man, and keeps it within due bounds. 

All the arts of this description, which are met with 
in books on magic, and occasionally in the writings of 
ancient authors, as also in various individuals of the 
lower class, such as exorcists, quackdoctors, &c. must 
always be regarded as relics of heathenism ; for traces of 
things of this nature are to be found both in the sacred 
writings and such as are profane. Magnetism, magic- 
potions, magical perfumes, and who knows how many 
other different means, which are now lost, were em- 
ployed to develop the faculty of presentiment, to form 
a connexion with the invisible world, and to learn things 
which man in this life ought not to know. All the hea- 
then oracles, and all their pretended wonders sprang 
from this source. Their enchanters and enchantresses 
were initiated in these mysteries. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 207 

The ancient Israelites had also a strong propensity 
to such like things. The Witch of Endor is a proof of 
this. King Saul had sought to exterminate the sooth- 
sayers and diviners, which was very proper, and accord- 
ing to the Mosaic Law. Some of these people, however, 
still remained concealed ; and as the king had lost the 
divine favour, and could expect no answer from thence, 
yet was anxiously desirous of knowing the result of the 
war, he sought counsel from the enchantress of Endor, 
who must have been renowned in her art. The raising 
of spirits was * therefore a matter which was known at 
that time, but justly prohibited on pain of death. 

The Enchantress received orders to raise the de- 
ceased prophet Samuel, who, with all the rest of the 
Old Testament Saints, abode in Hades, in a state of 
blissful rest, until the conqueror of death conducted 
them in triumph into the mansions prepared for them. 

The woman employed her art; but instead of one 
of her familiar spirits, that was to have acted the part 
of Samuel, ho appeared himself, by the divine permis- 
sion and instigation. This the witch had not expected, 
she therefore cried out for fear, and said, " I see Elohim, 
something divine!" Samuel then announced to Saul, 
that the following day, he would be with him in the realm 
of the dead, or of spirits. This story is in many res- 



208 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

pects remarkable, because, on calmly reflecting upon it, 
it developes many ideas, which shed light on this obscure 



I have expatiated at length upon the subject of pre- 
sentiments, predictions, and enchantments, or generally 
speaking, upon the developed faculty of presentiment, 
because I regarded it as highly necessary on account of 
its important result. This result I will now lay down 
in sincerity, and in the name of the Lord. O that I 
could write it in letters of flame, or sound it in the ears 
of all my contemporaries, that so it might thrill through 
every nerve, for the time is fast - approaching when it 
will be needed ! 

Every artificial mode of developing the faculty of 
presentiment, and of entering into connexion and inter- 
course with the world of spirits, every attempt at it is a 
sin of sorcery, and seriously and severely forbidden by 
God. If it come of itself to pious and enlightened per- 
sons, they must not make much account of it, but rather 
avoid than seek its consequences, and use it with fear 
and trembling, and with wisdom, for the good of man- 
kind. 

The great events of the present age excite, every 
where, the nervous system to anxious expectation of the 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 209 

approaching future. Persons of weak nerves, who, by 
the perusal of the predictions contained in the Bible, and 
the explanations given of them, presumptuously begin 
to ruminate upon them with the desire of knowing future 
events, instead of letting themselves be led by it, to re- 
pentance and true conversion, may, by this means, easily 
develop their faculty of presentiment in a greater or less 
degree, according as their corporeal disposition permits. 
The elevation, the exalted feeling, the new discoveries, 
and the enlightened insight which accompany it, con- 
vince the individual, that what is passing in him, is a 
very peculiar operation of the Holy Spirit ; but believe 
me, assuredly and confidently, that this is not the case. 
Such an one may certainly say excellent and very useful 
things, and even be the means of really doing good; but 
before the man is aware, a false spirit, in the guise of an 
angel of light, mixes itself in the matter, and the poor 
creature is deceived. 

Such persons often predict things to come, which 
punctually take place ; but this is by no means a proof 
of any thing divine, as is evident from what has been al- 
ready said. The true spirit of prophecy is something 
very different, as I will now demonstrate. 

My dear readers, all of you! The great and gene- 
ral trial, or hour of temptation, in which the fidelity of 



210 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

the true worshippers of Christ, that fidelity which en- 
dures even unto blood, shall be put to the test and stand 
the trial, is no longer remote. By it shall those be made 
manifest, throughout the christian world, and sealed, who 
are worthy of the glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ, its 
citizenship, and the first resurrection. 

This great temptation will be twofold. On the one 
side, Satan and his host will strain every nerve to de- 
ceive the faithful adherents of Christ, by strong delu- 
sions, (2 Thess. ii. 9—12.) Those serve him as instru- 
ments to this end, who, armed with inquisitive presump- 
tion, are eager after the knowledge of mysteries, and 
allow themselves the practice of every kind of art, in 
order to enter into connexion with the invisible world. 
But the individuals he finds particularly suitable for his 
purpose, are those whose faculty of presentiment is de- 
veloped, and who mistakenly long after secret gratifica- 
tion. These poor souls are the most capable of becom- 
ing false prophets, and likewise the most capable of de- 
ceiving others. 

When they then say unto you, " Here is Christ, or 
there is Christ, this will take place, or that will happen, 
go this way or that way, now is the time to depart out 
of Babylon, to this place or that," give it no credence; 
but calmly, in the exercise of watching and prayer, keep 






ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 211 

the " One thing needful" in view, and continue in true 
simplicity and in the pure doctrine of the Gospel, what- 
ever may befall you. He is mighty in them that are 
weak, and lays no heavier burden upon his faithful ones 
than they are able to bear. In the most distressing sea- 
sons you shall experience the greatest joy; therefore be 
not afraid ! 

On the other side, the satanie host, incredible as it 
may now appear, will also employ such lying signs and 
wonders, for the purpose of deceiving the simple, and 
inducing them to worship the Beast. I still remember 
very well, that this had already become the subject of con- 
versation in a certain order, and a great and extensive 
association is really rising up again, whose objects are 
comprehensive. It is remarkable that even infidelity be- 
gins to think of a connexion with the invisible world, 
which it formerly laughed to scorn. " Watch and pray, 
lest ye fall into temptation;" " the spirit is willing, but 
the flesh is weak." 

About twenty years ago, when Messmer and Gass- 
ner began their first experiments with magnetism, the 
idea arose in some places, ev^n amongst pious and up- 
right men, whether the biblical wonderworkers, and even 
Christ himself, had not perhaps made use of similar 
means. Subsequently, when the effects of the faculty of 



212 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

presentiment, namely, the prediction of future events was 
added to it, the idea was also combined with it, whether 
the prophets had not likewise prophesied by means of a 
developed faculty of presentiment. 

They meant well ; for in the former case, they hoped 
in some measure to render assistance to reason, with 
respect to miracles ; and in the latter, they were desirous 
of affording, by this means, a prop to the credibility of 
biblical prophecy ; but may God graciously preserve us 
from such assistance, and from such a prop ! No mag- 
netism could restore life to the body of Lazarus, which 
was already in the first stage of corruption, and just as 
little could magnetized water be made into wine. All 
the wonders which the Bible relates, and which to rea- 
son appear so incredible, are so to us for this reason, be- 
cause our ideas of matter and of bodies are entirely erro- 
neous. This is not the place to elucidate the subject; I 
will, however, lay down the following proposition as an 
infallible axiom, for the consideration of the inquirer af- 
ter truth : — 

Neither matter nor bodies exist out of time and 
space ; every thing there is realized idea of God ; there 
the whole creation consists entirely of first principles, 
which every rational thinking being views according to 
his inward organization. We mortals necessarily regard 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 213 

them in time and space, but ought not to imagine that 
they are so in themselves, or that they are considered so 
in the divine mind, or by other spirits. 

He that maturely weighs this proposition, will no 
longer find any difficulty as it respects real miracles; 
and he will soon perceive, that none but God alone can 
work true wonders, that is, can change one first princi- 
ple into another, and that this brings no confusion into 
external nature. I now pass on to the subject of pro- 
phecies, in order to show how infinitely different they are 
to the effects of the faculty of presentiment. 

We have two revelations of God ; the visible crea- 
tion, and the Bible. These two contain, together, all 
that is necessary for us to know for our earthly and eter- 
nal welfare. So long as any one teaches or prophesies 
that which is in accordance with these divine revelations, 
and founded upon them, we may and we ought to receive 
it as divine truth; but as soon as the teacher affirms, 
that God has revealed it to him, he makes himself sus- 
pected, because God does not repeat again, what he has 
once solemnly revealed to man. It is, therefore, nothing 
else, than the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, which is 
granted to the preacher, by which he is enabled, more 
clearly to unfold the truths he announces, and to present 
them more impressively to view. 



214 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

When any one explains biblical prophecies, and 
shows either what is already fulfilled, or must soon be 
accomplished, but speaks positively in the latter case, 
and even affirms that it has been divinely revealed to 
him, he again makes himself suspected. 

When any one predicts or prophesies something 
that stands opposed to divine revelation, and gives it out 
as divine truth, he is certainly a false prophet ; but if it 
be not contrary to the Holy Scriptures, and yet be not 
founded in them, it is a new doctrine. Now this latter is 
the principal point to be decided ; for none of the former 
cases are doubtful ; every true christian will and must 
say, yea, and amen to them. 

When a person, whom we regard as a most religi- 
ous character, tells us something new, that is not oppo- 
sed to the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures, but which 
cannot be proved from them, the question arises, How 
are we to act in such a case ? 

There are people who are very sincere and pious, 
but who are fond of the extraordinary and marvellous, 
and have imperceptibly formed to themselves a favorite 
system, which they endeavour likewise to prove, in their 
way, from the Bible. Now, when these persons find 
an author, or any other individual, who pretends to di- 
vine revelations, which are in unison with their system, 



OX FOREBODINGS, &C. 215 

they receive them," without hesitation, as divine; it being 
presupposed, that he who prophecies is a true christian. 
They adduce as the ground of this belief, that the Holy 
Spirit, who dwells in the true christian, will not permit 
him to be deceived by false revelations. That this 
ground of confidence is entirely false, is soon and incon- 
testibly proved. 

The late Gottfried Arnold, who certainly was a 
true christian, and an extremely learned and well-read 
man, had himself a strong predilection for the extraordi- 
nary and marvellous, as all his writings testify ;* he 
therefore furnishes us, in the present case, with the 
most unexceptionable evidence in favor of my proof. In 
his History of the Church and Heretics, he has intro- 
duced, if not all, yet certainly the most remarkable 
individuals, who have prophesied of future events since 
the times of the Apostles. Now if we strictly and im- 
partially examine all their prophecies, from the date of 
their promulgation to the present time, and compare 
them with history, we shall find, that in all of them, 

* The translator, who has read several of this author's 
works, cannot agree in the statement here expressed, as they 
consist chiefly of translations from the most approved writings 
of the primitive fathers. The work subsequently noticed, is 
the only one, as far as the translator's knowledge extends, which , 
is liable to censure on this point. 



216 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

truth and falsehood are mingled together. Some favorite 
idea shows itself in all these revelations, which, with the 
true, must pass for divine. None of these prophecies 
have been wholly and punctually fulfilled ; some things 
always, but others not at all. We therefore cannot and 
ought not to rely upon them ; for we do not know what 
is true or false, of that part of them which is still unful- 
filled. It is therefore incontestibly true, that the Holy 
Spirit has not insured these individuals, though certainly 
pious characters, against deception and error.* But 
this is only natural, for the Holy Spirit teaches and en- 
lightens ; he awakens delight in, and love to all that is 
good, and an abhorrence of all that is evil ; but he does 
not eompel the freewill in the smallest degree. Man 
continues at liberty to resist the Holy Spirit, to take 
fancy for reality, and a developed faculty of presenti- 
ment for the gift of prophecy. But he does not, on this 
account, forsake the individual, if the latter continues 
sincere and errs with a real love for the truth. As soon, 
however, as the man makes his error his favorite max- 
im, and article of faith, and his idol, and consequently 
becomes an enthusiast, the Spirit of God gradually de- 
parts from him, and those that are in this lamentable 
state, then become dangerous instruments of Satan and 
his kingdom. 

* " All that we know is in part," said Paul, who certainly 
bad received the Holy Spirit. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &'C 217 

This I affirm in the name of the Lord, as a truth, 
in support of which I will live and die ; and I assert it, 
because there never was a period, since the creation of 
the world, in which it was so necessary as at present. 

My readers will now probably expect, and that 
justly, that I should show how the true prophet is dis- 
tinguished from a mere prognosticator, and a revelation 
that is really divine, from a developed faculty of presen- 
timent. 

When any one, even the most pious of men, affirms 
that God has revealed to him, that some particular event 
will take place, or that such and such is the nature of 
some subject still unknown to us, I may not and dare 
not believe him, merely upon his own word, for he may 
easily be much mistaken. But if I regard it as a mat- 
ter of indifference which does not concern me, whilst it 
really is a divine revelation, I should sin deeply; for 
how can or ought any thing to be indifferent to me, of 
which God causes some one to inform me. 

What am I, therefore, and what ought I to do ? 

Shall I say, "I do not believe thee. Since the 
times of the apostles, there are no more true predictions, 
nor real prophets;" this would be captious presumption, 



218 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

founded upon nothing, and also contrary to the spirit of 
prophecy, which distinctly states, that in the last times, 
and perhaps ere long, signs, wonders, and prophecies 
will occur. 

Or shall I believe him on his bare assertion? I 
cannot do this, because he may be mistaken ; not even 
when he refers me to a vision of angels, though he prove 
to me that the apparition was real, and not a deception ; 
for who will assure me, that the being who appears, is 
a good spirit, or if he be, that he cannot err? 

But I must not continue indifferent in the matter : 
what then remains for me to do? the only thing that 
remains is, that the prophet incontestibly prove to me, 
that God has sent liim ; he must show me his credentials, 
and these must consist in an act, which is only possible 
for God to perform ; that is, he must do real wonders in 
the name of Jesus Christ. I say real wonders, for there 
are very many arts and mysteries in nature, which appear 
to be real wonders, but are by no means so. Only read 
Eckhartshausen's writings, particularly his Key to Magic, 
and the reader will be enabled to defend himself against 
being deceived by false wonders. The miracles of Christ, 
the prophets, and apostles, show what real wonders are, 
and what characteristics they ought to possess. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 219 

We find in the Holy Scriptures, from beginning to 
end, that God endowed all his messengers to man, with 
the gift of working miracles, and Christ knew very well, 
that it could not be expected that men should believe 
him and his apostles, merely upon his word; he there- 
fore confirmed his doctrine by great and remarkable mi- 
racles, and his disciples did the same. Miracles are now 
no longer necessary for that purpose, and for the confir- 
mation of what we know, and of what has been revealed 
to us ; but as soon as new revelations are necessary, 
miracles are also necessary. Though an angel were to 
appear to me, or even Christ himself, yet he must satis- 
factorily prove to me, that he really is, what he pretends 
to be, because I may be deceived by false spirits. This 
precaution in demanding such a proof, of which we find re- 
markable instances in the Bible, God has never been of- 
fended with : on the contrary, he condescended, with great 
forbearance, to the requests of those individuals,whom he 
designed to use as instruments in the execution of his 
purposes. It is here worthy of remark, that the priest 
Zacharias, who did not believe the angel Gabriel upon 
his word, but demanded a sign, and to whom the sign of 
dumbness was given, received such a strong memento as 
a reproof. Here all depends upon whether Zacharias 
knew the angel or not. In the former case, it was crimi- 
nal unbelief, in the latter, necessary precaution, to de- 
mand a sign. That he really knew the angel is 



220 ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 

beyond a doubt ; for Gabriel certainly did not appear to 
him in a dubious form. 






Finally.— We have still to add, that the style of the 
prophets is still more definite and sublime, than that 
which predictors generally employ. If we read in the 
above-mentioned History of the Church and Heretics, 
the language made use of by those pious individuals that 
have prophesied, we shall soon perceive the great differ- 
ence that exists. 



When we minutely consider what Moses relates of 
Balaam, it appears more than probable, that he prophe- 
sied by means of a developed faculty of presentiment. 
His whole conduct shows, that he was not a real pro- 
phet of God, but his history proves, that he heard divine 
words, which is also the case with many who prophesy 
by the means above-mentioned. It is remarkable what 
is said of him in Numbers, xxxiv. i. which verse, in the 
original sense, is as follows ; " And Balaam saw that it 
was good in the sight of Jehovah to bless Israel ; there- 
fore went he not as he was wont to do, to divinations, 
but, &c." There were, therefore, even at that time, in- 
stitutions where divination might be learnt, and these 
were probably nothing else than schools, in which was 
taught the art of developing the faculty of presentiment, 
and of coming into connexion with the invisible world. 



ON FOREBODINGS, &C. 221 

The way and manner in which Jehovah revealed 
himself to the prophets is not fully known. However, 
we know so much concerning it, as that it took place, at 
one time by visions and dreams, at another by an out- 
ward audible voice, and perhaps also by an inward men- 
tal communication, and by the ministry of angels. But 
their mission was always accompanied by extraordinary 
circumstances, and manifested with much solemnity, 
and in a manner befitting the divine majesty. Their 
prophecies referred chiefly to some very distant period, 
whither no faculty of presentiment could reach. Isaiah 
prophesied above six hundred years before the birth of 
Christ, and predicted his sufferings ; and all the prophets 
announce, two thousand five hundred years beforehand, 
the glorious kingdom of peace. 



222 



CHAP. IV 



ON VISIONS AND APPARITIONS OF SPIRITS. 



I come now, finally, to the most important, as well as 
the most difficult part of my Theory of Prieumatology. 
The whole subject is generally treated as something su- 
perstitious and degrading. It belongs to good-breeding 
and refinement, to smile at ghost-stories, and to deny 
the truth of them, and yet it is curious, that people are 
so fond of hearing them told, and that besides this, the 
incredulous narrator commonly seeks to make them as 
probable as possible. 

Superstition is something mean and contemptible ; 
and as all apparitions of spirits are declared to be super- 
stition, it is therefore natural, that people are ashamed 
of appearances of this nature. But here, every thing 
depends upon this, whether all the narrations of such 
appearances be only deception, falsehood, and supersti- 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. ' 223 

tion. It is certain that the greatest part of them are so ; 
but it is equally certain and true, that the souls of de- 
parted men occasionally reappear after death, and show 
themselves to the living, sometimes for a shorter, and 
at other times for a longer period, even for centuries 
together, desiring some service from them, In the fol- 
lowing pages, I will incontestibly prove the truth of 
this assertion. 

If I show the reality of the thing, the proof of the 
possibility of it is unnecessary; but when we believe 
any thing to be impossible, we doubt every proof of its 
reality ; therefore, in order to obviate this, I have shown 
in the two first chapters of this work, that the common 
scholastic ideas of human nature are totally false, and 
that it is very possible, that a soul, divested of its body, 
may again become visible, The question is therefore 
decided, as it regards philosophy ; but not so with res- 
pect to many of the teachers of religion: for as real appa- 
ritions of departed souls prove, to a demonstration, that 
there is a middle place, a realm of the dead, (Hades,) in 
which those souls are detained, which are not yet ripe for 
either of the places of their destination, and are there fully 
prepared for the one or the other ; those divines who are 
desirous of continuing faithful, in this instance, to the 
articles of the protestant faith, must either say, that the 
truest narrations of the re-appearance of deceased indi- 



224 ON APPARITIONS, SzC. 

duals are false, or else that they are the hauntings of evil 
spirits. 

To this I reply, that if I state my proof of the truth, 
honestly and fully, which I certainly will not fail to do, 
truth is, and continues to be truth, and I will show with 
equal certainty, that such appearances are not the haunt- 
ings of evil spirits. Nor have the Holy Scriptures any 
thing at all to object against my theory; on the contrary, 
they are in favour of it. Finally, I beg the reader to 
reflect, whether the real apparition of a departed spirit, 
without the co-operation of any one, can be called su- 
perstition. Is that superstition, when fully conscious 
of myself, I see an ignis-fatuus, or any other rare natu- 
ral phenomenon? In the present case it only depends 
upon the use made of it. I shall therefore also show the 
rational and christian -like manner, in which a person 
ought to act, in the event of an apparition of this nature. 

By the word "vision," I understand an appearance 
which a person sees, without any real object being there : 
it therefore only exists in the imagination, and is conse- 
quently a mere dream, which is, however, regarded b\ 
him that has it, as a reality. Yet visions distinguish 
themselves from common dreams, in this, that they are 
connected, and are like the reality; as also, that a per- 
son may have them w r aking. I request that this defini- 



ON APPARITIONS, &C 225 

tion may be always coupled with the word "vision, ' 
whenever it appears in the sequel. 

From this view of the matter it is clear, that a vision 
signifies nothing at all; for it proves nothing more than 
a lively imagination, and a natural disposition to regard 
its images as something real. Hysterical and hypochon- 
driacal persons are inclined to visions. They have them, 
either with or without fits. These kind of people also 
easily develop their faculty of presentiment, so that they 
easily come into connexion with the invisible world. 
Every thing is then jumbled together, and much know- 
ledge and experience is necessary, to distinguish a vision 
from a real apparition. The principle and basis, upon 
which all such investigations must be carried on, is as 
follows. 

If more than one individual, without previous com- 
munication, and unexpectedly, see an apparition, or if 
only one person sees it, and the rest witness actions, 
which can have no other origin than from the apparition, 
it is then no vision, but the real appearing of a spirit. 
Examples shall fully elucidate and establish these pro- 
positions. 

About the year 1795, one summer's evening, at six 
o'clock, after I had read my last lecture for the day, 
Q 



226 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

and re-entered my study, (it was at Marburg,) a stu- 
dent came to me, with whom I was well acquainted, 
he being one of my worthiest hearers, and is still a most 
excellent man, both as to head and heart. He -fills at 
present, an important office in the service of an illus- 
trious prince. I received him with cordiality, and bade 
him sit down beside me. He then stated to me, that in 
the year 1755, something remarkable had occurred in 
his family : his father, who was then a young man of 
about twenty years of age, was frequently visited by a 
spirit. His grand-father, who was the teacher of a Latin 
school, had minutely written down the whole affair, and 
had caused it to be printed, but this was confined to a 
few copies, in order to leave them to his children and 
grand-children, as an instructive lesson, and a perpe- 
tual memorial. Some of the nearest relatives had als 
received a copy. He now felt in his pocket and gav 
me his to read, after which, he took his leave, and went 
away. I read this most remarkable document with sur- 
prise and astonishment, and then returned it to its pos- 
sessor with thanks. 



However deeply the facts themselves were impres- 
sed upon my memory, yet there were so many remark- 
able circumstances united with them, which it was im- 
possible for me to recollect, that I heartily wished to 
possess the book myself, or at least, that it might be 



: 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 227 

lent to me, whenever I should write the present work, 
for which I have been preparing many years; and 
singular enough, when travelling about ten years ago, 

through the province of -, I received the book as a 

present, from a near relative of the person, who had 
seen the spirit. It is now lying near me on the desk, 
but I dare not part with it, lest the name of the family 
be made public, for this would cause my worthy friend, 
the ci-devant student, much correspondence, expense, 
perhaps other disagreeable results, ridicule, and contempt, 
to which I would not even remotely give occasion. But 
if I now make an extract from it, in defence of the truth, 
so that T give no names, and relate the matter in such 
a manner as not to compromise the worthy family, I 
hope that it will not betaken amiss. The numerous 
persons who know it already, will soon perceive to what 
it-refers. The title of this remarkable book is -as follows. 

" A True Narrative of a Spirit, which frequently 

appeared to ? of -, at stated times, from tho 1st 

of January to the 30th of April, 1755 ; circumstan- 
tially described by his father in the month of May, 
1755, and privately published in the month of April, 
1759." 

On the reverse of the titk-page, stands the follow- 
ing motto: " This shall be written for the succeeding 



228 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

generation, and the people that shall be created, shall 
praise the Lord." (Psalm cii. 19.) 

Then follow the contents of the book itself, above 
which stand the words, in nomine jesu salvatoris, 
(in the name of Jesus the Saviour.) The father's narra- 
tive then commences. 

In the beginning of the year 1755, his son dreamed 
every night, that a little man, dressed in a blue coat and 
brown waistcoat, with a whip hanging at his girdle, after 
previously knocking at his room door, entered, wished 
him a good morning, and said, " I have something to 

tell thee : go down to the berg, and under a tree 

near the — — meadow, thou wilt find upon and near a 
stone, thirteen kreutzer, which take and secure them ; 
then dig a little, and thou wilt find much money." He 
then constantly saw in his dream, the place, and the tree 
w T here the money was to be found, and the money itself, 
as it appeared in part above the ground. 

The worthy youth awoke every time in great terror, 
and related his dream. Both father and son regarded 
it as natural, and yet very remarkable, and mentioned 
it to some intimate friends. 

Some nights after this, the spirit again appeared to 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 229 

the son in a dream, and repeated the above expressions, 
at the same time reproaching him for having divulged 
the affair, and shewed him the figures of two men, whom 
he knew, who the spirit asserted, had already gone to 
the place to seek the money, but that they would not 
obtain it. 

From this time, the son saw the spirit likewise 
when awake, and hence it was concluded, that it was 
not a mere dream, but a real apparition. This terrified 
the good people much, particularly as the spirit came 
every night, and the son awoke at each knocking. 
This occurred two or three times every night, and the 
entreaty to fetch the money was repeated every time. 
But the longer and more frequently this demand was 
made, the more the youth was alarmed, and declared 
that he would not go to the place and fetch the 
money, on any account. The spirit, in order to divest 
him of all suspicion, and to encourage him, made use of 
the first words of the 23rd. verse, of the eleventh chap- 
ter, of the first epistle to the Corinthians, " I have re- 
ceived of the Lord, that which I have declared unto 
you," and then recommended him, when he went down 
to fetch the money, to sing the hymn which begins thus : 

" Who Jesus loves, and trusts in God 
His blessing shall enjoy, &c." 



230 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

The son never being able, in consequence of the 
great trepidation he felt, to speak a word with the spirit, 
both father and son determined to question him, in wri- 
ting, upon several points. On the 14th of January the 
son WTote down these questions, and laid them upon the 
table in his bedroom. As soon as the spirit came the 
following night, he immediately observed them, and an- 
swered them clearly and distinctly. Here follow the 
questions and answers, word for word. 

JESUS. 

Listen, O Spirit ! I ask thee in the name of Jesus. 

I.— "Who art thou? 

Ans. — I am of this place, and have buried the mo- 
ney, with ^ve others ; these five are now at rest, but I 
am not. I died in -. 

II. — Why art thou so disturbed, and why dost 
thou disturb me also ? 

Ans. —Why am I so disturbed ? I have already 
said, that it is the money we buried, which disturbs me, 
nor can I rest, until thou fetch it. I disturb thee, it is 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 231 

true ; but thou canst immediately help thyself, by going 
and fetching the money. 

III. — If thou art a good spirit, and standest in 
need of assistance, I would gladly help thee with all 
my heart, were it in my weak ability and power to do 
so ; but as I cannot, I ask thee in the name of Jesus, 
if I cannot let another person do that which thou de- 
sirest of me ? 

Ans. — Assuredly I am a good spirit, and in answer 
to thy question, no one can deliver me but thou. I have 
already waited for thee one hundred and twenty years, 
and if thou wilt not help me, I must suffer and be trou- 
bled another hundred and twenty years. I beseech 
thee, help me! Thou mayest take people with thee 
when thou goest down, but they must not go with thee 
so far as to see the place, until thou hast found the mo- 
ney ; they may then help thee to carry it home* Thou 
canst not carry it alone, and they may, in the mean time, 
pray for thee. Be not however, afraid, whatever dread- 
ful and horrible things may appear to thee there. I will 
myself accompany thee, and assist thee in every thing. 

Notwithstanding all this, the son found it utterly 
impossible to go alone to the fearful spot; and on the 
whole, both the parents and the son hesitated much in 



232 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

the matter, for they were afraid of doing something 
wrong. They were, therefore, unanimous in again wri- 
ting down some questions, in order to lay them before 
the spirit the following night. This was done as fol- 
lows : — 

JESUS. 

Listen, O Spirit! I ask thee further, in the name 
of Jesus. 

I. — Whether I cannot go in company, with 
some others, to the place thou hast pointed out, where 
the money lays, without hearing or seeing something 
dreadful ? 

Ans. — Thou may est do so ; thou wilt neither hear 
nor see any thing ; but what will that avail thee or me I 
Rather go down alone with me, and then I am free. 

II. — Why cannot I help thee, when some one is 
with me? I will take with me none but pious people, 
whom thou may est select for me. 

Ans. — Thou must go thither alone, for thou alone 
art nominated to deliver me. Others cannot help either 
thee or me. 






OX APPARITIONS, &C. 233 

III. — Shall I not advise with some pious per- 
son or minister in this affair, because I can scarcely 
yet believe that thou art a good spirit. Our Saviour 
has redeemed all men; art thou then excluded? And 
how should I be able to redeem thee ! Jesus has suf- 
fered for all. 

Ans. — No, thou hast no need to do so, for they 
will all seek to set thee against it. Doubt not that I am 
a good spirit. 5 Tis true the Saviour has redeemed me 
also ; but 'tis thou must deliver me from this place ; to 
this thou art appointed. Do not let me suffer another 
hundred and twenty years! 

IV. — If it must be so, have I not still some time 
and space for it ? 

Ans. — Thou hast still some time for it, but till-then, 
thou and I will have no rest. I beg of thee to fetch the 
money. 

On this the spirit observed, that he had still one 
hundred and twenty days allowed, within which time 
the money must be fetched. 

Notwithstanding all this, the father and son were 
still in doubt , whether the spirit was a good or an evil 



23-1 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

being; and as they sat together on Saturday evening, 
the 18th of January, at ten o'clock, and spoke about the 
spirit; the father considered whether evil spirits could 
name the name of Jesus, because the spirit named him ; 
and now remembered, that the spirits whom Christ cast 
out, often called upon him by this name ; when he ob- 
served that his son turned pale, was terrified, and said, 
" Father, pray !" The father complied with this request, 
calling often upon the name of Jesus, and hoped by this 
means to banish the spirit ; but the latter looked him in 
the face, and said, " I like also to hear the name of Je- 
sus, but because you are at present so much afraid, I 
will go away again," on which he departed. 

The following Sunday morning, the father's brother 
came to visit these distressed people, in their secret and 
heavy affliction. Whilst they were sitting together, all 
at once the son was unable to speak, and laid his head 
upon the table ; from which they perceived, that the spi- 
rit was again present ; they therefore began to sing, " Be- 
gone, ye imps of hell ! ye here have nought to do." The 
spirit sang these words with them, with a loud voice, 
and then vanished. 

On Monday, the 20th of January, the spirit again 
appeared at eight o'clock in the morning, in the sitting- 
room, and as towards ten, the father's brother was about 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 235 

to go, and father and son were accompanying him to the 
door, the spirit came up the stairs ; the son again grew 
faint, and was obliged to be taken back into the room ; 
the spirit however said, " Thou canst now accompany 
thy uncle, and fetch the money at the same time." That 
day the spirit was extremely urgent. On Tuesday, the 
21st of January, at eight o'clock in the morning, he came 
into the school room ; and the poor ghost-seer escaped 
into an adjoining apartment ; the spirit followed him, 
wrung his hands, and prayed three times the following 
words ; " Lord God, thou art merciful, and thy goodness 
endureth for ever. Ah, why dost thou, let me suffer so 
long!" He then departed. 

At ten o'clock he returned, but not in his former 
dress, but as a figure entirely white, and said to the son, 
" I have now besought thy assistance for twenty days 
together, do resolve and help me ! I will now leave thee 
for twenty days, if thou wilt go down in the mean time, 
and fetch the money, thou mayest do so ; it would be a 
great relief to me if I could always stay with thee, but 
now I must go, and have not a moment more time. In 
twenty days, that is on the tenth of February, I will 
again be with thee at this hour." 

The spirit kept his word, he again appeared in a 
white form, gently repeated his request, accompanied the 



236 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

son wherever he went, except that he did not speak in 
the presence of strangers, and was glad that he might 
again be with him. 

At ten o'clock in the evening of Tuesday, the 11th 
of February, the spirit came again into the sitting-room, 
and brought with him another little spirit, about the size 
of a child of four or five years old, of a radiant figure, 
which he led by the hand. The little spirit said nothing, 
but sung the Te Deum Laudamus, We praise thee, O 
God ! so charmingly and beautifully, that the son called 
to all present to listen, believing that the whole compa- 
ny must have heard the singing. Hitherto, the father 
had always assured the spirit, that he would never per- 
mit his son to fetch the money alone. The spirit now 
informed them, that he had obtained permission for the 
father to accompany the son, only he must remain two 
paces distant from the place, and this must be done, with- 
out fail, the following Wednesday, the 12th of February, 
at 12 o'clock at noon ; that the little spirit would like- 
wise be present, and that they ought not to be at all 
afraid. 

This intelligence alarmed the family still more. The 
father prayed incessantly to God for deliverance, preser- 
vation, and assistance, through this trial, and experienced 
inward consolations, and gracious assurances in his de- 



OK APPARITIONS, &C. 237 

votions. The resolution remained firm not to grant the 
spirit's request. 

The dreadful Wednesday, and the appointed hour 
arrived. The father was sitting below at table with 
a friend, when he was called up to his son, whom 
he found deadly faint. All fell on their knees and 
prayed, for they believed he would die ; but he recover- 
ed again and told them, that the spirit had come to him 
in great wrath, because they would not fetch the money, 
had pressed him on the heart, and said. " Now I will 
make an end of thee !" he then said, soon after, that the 
little spirit was there, and stroked him, upon which he 
perfectly recovered. The little spirit then sung, in the 
presence of the other, the hymn, " God, the father, 
dwell with us ! &c." Now as the son was much dis- 
tressed, and could not bear to stay in the house for 
trepidation, a walk was undertaken to the adjoining 
village, in the company of several friends ; but the spi- 
rit appeared here also, two several times, once on the 
way, and the second time at the parsonage, where he 
stood in the porch as they came up. 

The spirit "becoming more and more urgent and 
i menacing, both father and son determined, (the latter 
being still unable to speak with the spirit,) to write down 
some additional questions, and to lay them before this 



233 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

terrific being. The questions and answers follow here 
verbatim. 

In yesterday's gospel, we are told how our Lord 
confuted the tempter by the Word of God : following 
his example, 1 say unto thee,and ask thee in writing, 
because I am never able to speak to thee verbally. 

Ans.— I am no tempter ; nevertheless I am glad 
to hear the Word of God ; and it is thine own fault that 
thou art unable to speak to me. 

I.— It is written, " Try the spirits, whether 
they be of God." That thou art a good spirit, I at 
length allow ; but thy troubled state proves that thou 
art not a happy spirit, besides which, I cannot and 
dare notbelieve, that what thou desirest is from God. 

Ans. — I am well aware that thy parents doubt my 
being a good spirit : but thou seest that I honour and 
love the Word of God, and have the hope of salvation. 
Nor is my torment any infernal torment, but a purifica- 
tion sent me from God y became at my decease, I was too 
im/ch attached to riches, from which thou must deliver 



II. — It is written, " My sheep hear my voice, 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 239 

and they follow- me; but the voice of a stranger 
will they not hear nor follow ;" in accordance with 
this, I must follow the voice of my Saviour, and am 
directed not to listen to any spirit ; for thou art a 
stranger to me, and one whom I know not, nor dare 
I follow. 

Ans. — Thou must by all means follow thy Saviour 
and mine, and obey his voice ; but God has also other 
ways besides his word, of revealing those things, which 
are not matters of faith, as is very often the case in 
dreams. Thou art no stranger to me, but of my kin- 
dred in the seventh degree. My native land is Saxony. 

III. — It is written, " Children, be v obedient to 
your parents in the Lord." Now if thou seek to 
render me disobedient, thou art not on God's side. 
Thou knowest very well, that my parents will not 
permit me to consent to thy wishes ; why art thou 
constantly urging me to do thy will, contrary to their 
will ? Arrange it with them. 

Ans. — -Certainly thou must obey thy parents in all 
things that are not contrary to God ; nor will I incite 
thee to disobey them; but because they reject my request, 
thou mightest in this case, find means of fetching the 
money, without their knowledge, which when once done, 



240 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

all will be right. I am not referred to them, but to thee, 
and therefore also I have been obliged to wait for thee, 
till thou wast twenty years of age, 

IV. — It is written, " He that rushes into dan- 
ger, shall perish therein, and the end of the fool- 
hardy is evil." Why should I have any thing to do 
with spirits and devils, or hazard both body and soul? 
And who can assure me, that if I fetch away the 
money, nothing dangerous shall occur to me, either 
in body, soul, or mind ; seeing that the wicked one 
is with the money, and guards it, and as thou hast 
thyself said, will cause frightful things to be seen ? 

Ans. — This saying is certainly true ; but observe, 
" He that rashly and daringly rushes into danger, shall 
perish in it;" but this is not the case with thee. 'Tis 
true, that the devil and his angels will be busy 'on the 
occasion ; but it is equally certain, that they cannot in- 
jure thee till thou hast got the money, and therefore thou 
hast no need to fear. 

V. — It is written, " No man can redeem his 
brother." How then should I be able to do so, 
and deliver thee ? In Jesus there is everlasting re- 
demption ; he can help thee without reference to this 
money, and bring thee to rest. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 241 

Ans.— Most assuredly is this saying true; and it 
would be wrong to say that thou couldst redeem me. 
The Saviour redeems thee, and me, and all men ; but 
yet in the affair of this money, thou must act as a re- 
deemer by superior permission, and terminate my tor- 
ment, which otherwise will not end, although thou dost 
not comprehend it. 

VI. — It is written, " Our Lord Jesus threatened 
not when he suffered, but committed himself to him 
that judgeth righteously." Wherefore then, in oppo- 
sition to this, dost thou plague me for not complying 
with thy wishes? 

Ans.— This is certainly true, and it is unwillingly 
that I trouble thee, but my distress and necessity com- 
pel me to it ; thy obstinacy is to blame. 

The spirit, in answering the second question, having 
mentioned that the son was no stranger to him, but re- 
lated to him in the seventh .degree, by lineal descent, 
the father looked over his genealogical table, and found 

that a certain Lawrence , a miner of , on the 

borders of Saxony, was his son's progenitor in the se- 
venth degree ; but as this Lawrence was married in the 
year 1566, whilst the spirit asserted that he had been 
one hundred and twenty years in that state, and conse- 

R 



242 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

quently, on subtracting 120 from 1755, must have died 
in the year 1635; the father found the matter doubt- 
ful, because the said Lawrence must, in that case, have 
lived in the marriage state from 1566 to 1635, conse- 
quently sixty-nine years, which appeared to him incre- 
dible ; however, the spirit appeared again the same day, 
the 18th of February, at three o'clock in the afternoon, 
and said, " You have been searching, on my account, 

in the family genealogy: I am not, however, , but 

his own brother, and a son of Gregory , minister 

of ; my father died early, and when my brother 

was married, I was four years old, and went to school 
with my brother's sons. During the disturbances in 

Bohemia, I came hither to , where I married a 

widow. I was not a farmer but a tradesman. 

The son becoming seriously indisposed in conse- 
quence of all this agitation, and these trying words, en- 
deavoured to make a change, and therefore went to . 

On passing the place where the money was said to be 
deposited, he saw a black man and a dog upon it ; and 
although there was snow every where else, yet this place 
was green. The spirit again presented himself, and ha- 
rassed him with his temptations. On returning, he found 
every thing just as before, and when the spirit left him, 
he heard behind him a piteous and lamentable cry. 






ON APPARITIONS, &C. 243 

The daily and nightly appearing of the spirit still 
continued, and his requests to fetch the money became 
more and more urgent ; but this being flatly refused him, 
he was irritated, and desired to speak with the father ; 
but this the latter scrupled to do, and refused his request. 
The spirit, however, fixed a day for the interview, name- 
ly twenty days later, on Saturday, the 1st of March, at 
eight in the evening, or on Sunday the 2d, between eight 
and nine in the morning, asserting that nothing should 
happen to the father, but that he must be earnest in 
prayer at parting. The father however utterly rejected 
the interview. At every visit, the spirit shewed great 
devotion, during singing, prayer, and reading. 

The father was once reading the 8th chapter of the 
Epistle to the Remans, and on the spirit appearing, the 
father said, " If thou wilt, thou mayest remain here and 
listen." The spirit answered, that he was glad to be told 
to stay. He then placed himself immediately behind 
the table near the son, and when in the course of read- 
ing, the father came to the words, "We are saved by 
hope, &c." he clapped his hands together for joy, and 
said, " O yes, yes, saved by hope!" 

It is also worthy of remark, that the spirit emitted 
fire from every finger, when he became angry on account 
of the son's obstinacy. He often said, that if any one 



244 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

wished to see him, he might, but the individual would 
afterwards repent of it. On the father's once saying, 
that it was impossible he could be a good spirit, because 
he harrassed his son in such a manner, he said in great 
anger, " Soon, soon, soon, shall you experience that 
I am a good and not an evil spirit, but to your detri- 
ment." The father commended himself and his house- 
hold to God, and nothing prejudicial ensued. 

From the 2d to the 22d of March, the spirit conti- 
nued to appear, but during that period he said nothing, 
nor did he give any answer to questions that were put 
to him, either verbally or in writing, yet he scarcely ever 
left the son. During the succeeding twenty days, he did 
not come at all, except on the 2d of April, when the fol- 
lowing circumstance occurred. The father and son went 
to the field belonging to the school, where the money 
was ; as the latter was now no more afraid, because the 
spirit stayed away, they went both to the place, but nei- 
ther saw nor heard any thing. As soon as they had left 
the place, the spirit appeared, he was much irritated, and 
asked why he was so simple as to go down then, when 
his father was with him, and so many people in the 
field ? he only increased his torment by it ; he had often 
told him, that he must go thither alone, and he must 
now stay there till the father was gone, and every one 
was at home. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C, 245 

On this the son grew very faint. He also saw the 
black man and the dog again. Much affrighted, he ex- 
claimed, " O father, we must now go home!" his terror 
was so great, that even the father began to be afraid. 
With much trouble, they at length reached their habita- 
tion. 

The last twenty days of the hundred and twenty, 
still remained, and of these the good people were much 
afraid ; for they were apprehensive that the spirit would 
now exert himself to the utmost, to attain his object. 
Fear urged them to persevering and earnest prayer, and 
this a]so tranquillized them, particularly as the father re- 
ceived singular consolation in his dreams. 

On the 10th of April, at eight in the evening, the 
spirit again appeared, but no longer in white, but in his 
former costume. His address to the son was, " Thy 
obstinacy is the cause, why I am obliged again to appear 
thus." He then also gave them to understand, that the 
son could no longer fetch the money as formerly, at any 
time, but only every twentieth hour. He then movingly 
begged for help, as only a short time longer was allowed 
him. 

After this, the spirit appeared still three several 
times, but only every twentieth hour, say, on the 11th 



246 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

of April, at four in the morning, the following night at 
twelve, and on the evening of the 12th at eight o'clock. 
In the two apparitions on the 11th of April, he said to 
the son, that he had formerly written down something 
for him to answer, but now he dare not reply to any 
more questions. With this exception, he spoke very 
little, but only moaned pitifully, and threw his hands up 
and down, which again emitted fire, and this sorrowful 
scene was repeated so often, that the son heard the 
piteous moaning night and day. The whole family 
were much alarmed on the occasion, so that the father at 
length determined to prepare something in writing, and 
lay it before the spirit. Therefore, on the 12th of April, 
at eight in the evening, when the spirit stood at the room 
door, and gradually entered the room, the father read to 
him what follows. 

In the name of Jesus, I assure thee, poor spirit! 

I. — That thy mournful condition much affects 
me and my family, and it grieves us, that we are 
not able to help thee. 

II. — That it is by no means obstinacy on the 
part of my son, that he has hitherto not complied 
w r ith thy request, seeing that his weakness and ina- 
bility must be well known to thee, because although 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 247 

he may become accustomed to the sight of thee, yet 
he has never been able to speak to thee ; but every 
time thou hast appeared, he has either sat or laid as 
if he were in a fit. 

III. — Thou art well aware, that not long since, 
we went to the place in the valley, and thou knowest 
how terrified, and horror-struck, and utterly devoid of 
strength he then became, and though he only saw r the 
demons at a distance, yet he was so agitated at the 
sight, that he was obliged to retire to the hill in the 
w r ood : how then should he be able to go down amongst 
the devils themselves ? 

IV. — Thou hast said yesterday, that if he w r ould 
not help thee, he would have neither happiness nor 
salvation all his life long. I should be glad to know 
if thou hast this from God or from Satan ? 

V. — Alas ! we are unwilling to let thee depart 
without help ; yet what shall we do, or how begin, 
to help thee? If thou canst, give us an answer, 
and inform us what we wish to know. 

I commend thee to the mercy of God, the re- 
demption of the Lord Jesus, aud the comfort of the 
Holy Spirit. Amen ! 



248 ON APPATUTIONS, &C. 

My little book now grows so remarkable, that I 
must insert the most important passages in the father's 
own words. He says : — 

" During, and after the reading of the above, the 
spirit said to my son, ' I will find and point thee out a 
hymn; pray and sing it diligently.' On which, he 
took down from the shelf my son's pocket Bible, to 
which a small hymn book is attached, drew it out of the 
case, and found him the hymn wliich begins, * Have 
mercy, gracious God, &c.' and pointed out to him, with 
his ringer, the third verse, '-From guilt of blood deliver 
me, &c.' then folded down the page, and laid the Bible 
in its place again, on which he went away, saying ; 'Now 
I shall be absent for some time.' 

" My son immediately informed us what the spirit 
had done with the Bible, and supposed that we had also 
seen the occurrence. He requested that the Bible might 
be directly handed down, because when the spirit drew 
it from its case, a smoke appeared from it; and on 
taking it down, we found to our astonishment, that on 
both sides of the binding, towards the top, where the 
spirit had laid hold of it and drawn it out of the case, 
the leather was shrivelled up and burnt, and on open- 
ing the book, we immediately saw the hymn, ' Have 
mercy, gracious God, &c.' folded down. On the left 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 249 

side, where he had held the Bible with the left hand, 
with one finger and the thumb, the leather was also 
shrivelled and burnt on the back, where the ringer had 
been placed; whilst in the inside, where it had been 
held by the thumb, two leaves were singed and burned 
black completely through, and the five leaves next them 
partially so ; and where he had pointed with his finger 
to the verse, * From guilt of blood deliver me &c.' the 
finger-mark was likewise black and singed ; from which 
burned places it is evident, that the fingers are not 
fleshy, but formed like those of a skeleton : of which 
this awful memorial affords ocular demonstration, in 
the little hymn-book attached to this Bible, which was 
printed in 12rao. at Wittenberg, anno 1696, and bound 
in calf with gilt edges. On this account also, the said 
Bible shall be preserved as a continual remembrance and 
a wonder." 

Such has also been the case ; the family is still in 
possession of this most remarkable Bible, and many 
credible persons have seen it, and may still see it. 

This incident caused the whole household the 
greatest amazement, consternation, and astonishment ; 
and as they knew not what might further take place, it 
was resolved to consult with a pious minister in the 
neighbourhood. The father therefore went to him, on 



250 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

Monday the 14th of April, and related to him the whole 
affair under condition of the greatest secrecy. The wor- 
thy man was equally surprized and astonished, and 
confessed the matter was of too much importance for 
him to advise in, but referred him to the late Dr. Spener's 
Theological Reflections, in which he also treats of appa- 
ritions of spirits. He promised likewise to consider 
upon it himself, and then to communicate his sentiments 
to him. The point to be decided, consisted principally 
in this : whether the request of the spirit, with regard to 
singing and praying the hymn so dreadfully marked, 
1 Have mercy, gracious God, &c.' could with a good con- 
science be complied with. 

In Spener's last " Theological Reflections," Vol. I. 
there is a whole section on apparitions, and also the fol- 
lowing passage, which is decisive with respect to the 
present case. 

" Wherefore I consider, that in this case, the surest 
way is, that until, from one source or other, satisfactory 
convictions ensue, not to be too hasty in forming a judg- 
ment, but also that the person conduct himself through- 
out in the whole affair, so that on the one hand, if God 
intend any thing by it, he may not be found resisting 
him, nor entirely disregard any thing to which the spirit 
may admonish him, nor neglect on this account, what is 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 251 

otherwise known to be the divine will. On the other 
hand, if it were the work of Satan, desirous of playing 
his tricks under such a disguise, he must not give way to 
his will in the least, but cleave firmly to the Word of 
God alone, and unceasingly call upon God, to assure 
him of his will, that he may not be deceived, &c." 

In conformity with the counsel of this enlightened 
theologian, the hymn was not only sung by the family, 
morning and evening without scruple, but the son also 
prayed and sung it frequently, as the spirit requested. 

A few days after, the written opinion, promised by 
the pious minister above-mentioned, was also received; 
consisted summarily in the eight following points. 

I. — Tt is a sacred truth, that there are good and 
evil angels, and that both the one and the other can 
manifest themselves. 

II. — Wicked angels cannot appear without di- 
vine permission, and the good will not, without the 
permission and will of God. 

III. — Good angels, on appearing, can do nothing 
contrary to God, and wicked angels nothing for God, 
his glory, and the real welfare of man. 



252 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

IV. — The ministry of good angels, with respect 
to man, must not refer to any thing, either directly or 
indirectly, which is contrary to divine revelation in 
the Holy Scriptures. 

V. — A good spirit or angel, for the same reason, 
cannot desire of, or do to us, any thing which is con- 
trary to charity. 

VI. — Therefore, when a spirit, though appearing 
in the form of an angel of light, 'desires any thing 
contrary to the love of our neighbour, it cannot be 
regarded as a good angel or spirit. 

VII. — It is contrary to charity, to desire any 
thing of a man and a christian, which he cannot do 
with a good conscience. 

VIII. — Now as the spirit that appears, does and 
desires this, and even uses threats, and afflicts the 
body, he must by no means be listened to, but rejected 
as a tempter to evil. 

Therefore I conclude, that 

Those, to whom, in the sacred and salutary coun- 
sels of God, such apparitions and temptations have me- 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 253 

diate or immediate reference and concern, should let 
them act as a continual incitement to all fidelity and 
renewed zeal in religion, and to watching and conflict, 
according to Ephesians v. 10, for their own good, and at 
the same time for the praise of God, and the glorifica- 
tion of Jesus Christ in themselves and others, by a right 
improvement of such an event, according to the measure 
of christian wisdom and prudence. May God overrule 
the present visitation to this blessed end, for Christ's 
sake! Yea, he will do it, for he is faithful. 1 Cor. 
x. 13. 

This opinion, as well as the one above of Spener's, 
had the effect of causing both father and son to resolve, 
still more firmly, to act with great circumspection. 
They therefore continued in prayer and thanksgiving, 
for the gracious protection they had hitherto enjoyed, and 
trusted steadfastly in the Lord, that he would also fur- 
ther protect them. 

The succeeding pages of the book are so important, 
that I deem it necessary to insert them here verbatim. 

" But as nothing was seen or heard of the spirit, 
from the 12th of April above-mentioned, during the re- 
mainder of the month, we returned thanks for this sea- 
son of tranquillity, and imagined the spirit would, per- 



254 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

haps, stay away altogether-, however the last day and 
hour of the hundred and twenty days allotted to him, 
had not yet arrived, for which time we waited, though 
constantly between hope and fear. 

" That day, which was the 30th of April, and the 
Wednesday before St. Philip and St. James, at length 
arrived ; and when it was about eight o'clock in the 
evening, the spirit suddenly and unexpectedly entered 
the room, but not in his first or second form, but in one 
much whiter and brighter. He evidenced great plea- 
sure and satisfaction, thanked my son for having hitherto 
sung and prayed the appointed hymn (for so he termed 
it,) and informed him, that in consequence of this, he 
had been really redeemed and entirely delivered from 
the place and the money, although he had not yet com- 
pletely attained unto rest, which he however still hoped 
for: assuring him at the same time, that he, my son, 
must and ought to have the money, which was deposited 
at the place he mentioned, and that he would certainly 
obtain it, in a wonderful and incomprehensible manner ; 
but when this would take place, he was ignorant ; and 
it might perhaps be a long time first. 

11 On this, the spirit desired that my son should 
kneel down with him and pray. He did so, and the 
spirit then recited to my son a pretty long prayer, con- 



OX APPARITIONS, &C. 255 

sisting chiefly of scripture phrases, which he prayed 
aloud, after, and therefore with the spirit ; and it is par- 
ticularly remarkable, that previously, whenever the spirit 
appeared, although my son distinctly heard, understood, 
and retained every thing the spirit said, yet he was 
never able to] speak with him, but this time he contin- 
ued standing, and was able to speak and pray aloud with 
him, without becoming faint. It is only to be lamented, 
that this time, in consequence of our great consternation, 
the prayer itself, in all its length, was not properly 
apprehended and retained, but its contents were sum- 
marily as follows : — 

"' Holy, gracious, and merciful God! mighty in 
counsel, and wonderful in working! All things are pos- 
sible with thee ; thy power is great, and thy judgments 
are unsearchable ; unto thee belongeth praise, and 
honor, and thanksgiving, and glory. Thou humblest 
and thou exaltest ; thou succourest in time of need, thou 
deliverest from destruction, and redeemest from death ; 
thou castest down into the jaws of hell, and bringest us 
up again ; thou redeemest from blood-guiltiness, and 
forgis r est iniquity, transgression, and sin, thou mani- 
festest unto me thy grace and thy mercy, thou settest a 
golden crown upon my head; thou placest me at thy 
table, where the snow-white holy angels sit, and causest 
me to see thy goodness that endureth for ever, through 



256 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

the merits and redemption of Jesus Christ. Holy, 
Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth ; and let all 
the earth he filled with his glory ! Amen. The love and 
mercy of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the fellow- 
ship and comfort of the Holy Spirit be with us now and 
evermore ! Amen.' 

" After finishing this prayer, the spirit said to my 
son, 'Now reach me something, that I may give thee my 
hand,' presenting at the same time, his flat hand. My 
son mentioned this to me, on which I reached him my 
pocket handkerchief to give him, but the spirit said, 'Not 
that, but something from thee;' on which my son drew 
his own handkerchief from his pocket, and laid it upon 
the spirit's hand, which however we saw fall immedi- 
ately to the ground, and lay there. After this, the spi- 
rit cautioned my son against mentioning this affair to 
any one who would not believe it, assuring at the same 
time, that he would no longer have any more such aver- 
sion to the place, and then expressed the following wish, 
4 May God preserve thee, and all my relatives from such 
a life, that brings after it such like trouble and torment !' 
His last words were, ' I now take my leave of thee, thou 
wilt never see me more.' 



, 



" On this, the handkerchief, which was of line: 
and striped with blue and white, was taken up from 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 257 

the floor and inspected. And here we again saw with 
astonishment, that almost in the centre, where the spirit 
had taken hold of it, the five fingers 6f a hand were 
burnt in, so that the first and middle fingers were, in part, 
burned entirely through, but the thumb and the two 
other fingers were burned black and singed ; which hand- 
kerchief, thus dreadfully marked, together with the Bi- 
ble, shall be laid up, with this narrative, for an everlast- 
ing memorial to posterity. " 

This handkerchief was sent round amongst friends 

and acquaintances in the district of , who saw and 

examined it with wonder and astonishment, and have 
since related it to me, and testified of the truth of this 
affair. The father continues : — 

" And thus hath it pleased the Lord, in his mercy, 
again to remove this affliction which, in his holy will and 
counsel, had impended over us during one hundred and 
twenty days, and hath permitted us to see the end of it, 
in a wonderful way and manner, &c. 

" But in order that the pious preacher above-men- 
tioned, to whom I revealed this affair, and whom I con- 
sulted regarding it, as well as my present children and 
brethren, may read this narrative in its connexion, and 
praise the Lord with us : in order also, that my descend- 
s 



258 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

ants at some future period, may learn and know for their 
spiritual benefit, what remarkable things have happened 
to their forefathers, and who it was to whom a spirit ap- 
peared, which had quitted the body one hundred and 
twenty years before, I have transcribed this narrative by 
the hand of my son, as the affair really happened, where- 
by I have to state, why it is not drawn up by the indi- 
vidual chiefly concerned, that is, by my son himself, is, 
that I immediately noted down in my diary, every cir- 
cumstance which occurred at each apparition, because 
my son,- during the whole affair, was generally ill and 
sickly, and tender-sighted from seeing the spirit, and 
therefore the narrative is of my own drawing up. How- 
ever, all that is stated above, is known to my family, as 
well as to my son and myself; but that my descendants 
may be firmly assured of its credibility and truth, it is 
attested and confirmed below by myself and my said son, 
as the principal person in the affair, with our own hands 
and seals. 

" Done at , an evangelical Lutheran town, in 

the district of — , not far from , and situated be- 
tween and , the 16th of May, 1755. 

-«( L . s .) 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 259 

/ * Temporary Administrator to 
\ the Imperial Commission of Li-= 

/quidation in , Baronial 

a Clerk of the Peace, and School- 
V master of this Place. 

" I hereby testify, that the above narrative of the 
apparition is true with respect to each and every cir- 
cumstance, as my father wrote it down from my mouth, 
and as transcribed by my own hand, and that what is 
comprised in the foregoing twenty-six pages, is the truth 
and nothing but the truth, in defence of which I am ready 
to live and die. In testimony of which, I herewith set 
my hand and seal, 

11 The 16th May, 1755, 

«( L . s .) .. 



In conclusion, there follows an addition to this tale 
of the spirit, which is likewise edited by the father, and 
equally solemnly attested both by father and son. It 
is to the following effect. 

In the preceding narrative, mention is made of a 



260 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

beautiful and radiant little spirit, having shewn itself 
three times in the company of the greater one. This 
little spirit still continued to appear every twentieth day, 
but without saying any thing. 

On the 29th of August, 1755, at half-past twelve 
at noon, it entered the room door, went up and down 
the room, and sang the fifth verse of the hymn, " My 
Jesus I will ne'er forsake," which is as follows: — 

Nor earth, nor heaven, my soul delight, 
Jesus, I long for, and his light. 
'Tis he hath made my peace with God, 
And shed for me his precious blood. 
He shall my part in judgment take, 
My Jesus I will ne'er forsake ! 

After this, he turned to my son, and said to him, 
" Fear not, thou knowest me already. I shall now leave 
thee for one hundred and twenty days; be upon thy 
guard !" and with that he vanished. 

The last words, "Be upon thy guard!" again per- 
plexed the good people. The son composed a prayer 
with reference to this circum cum stance, which he de- 
voutly offered up, morning and evening. Once he had 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 261 

a frightful dream, in which an angel brought him a 
great treasure, but which Satan took away again : then 
death came also, and said, "I come at God's com- 
mand, &c." 

At length the appointed hundred and twentieth day 
arrived, this was the 27th of December, at the beginning 
of it, at twelve o'clock at night, the little spirit again ap- 
peared, and sang the following words out of the hymn, 
" Now Lord, unfold the gates of heaven." 

Enough have I striven 

And suffered below ; 

And now to my mansion 

In heaven I go. 
Most gladly rejecting and leaving behind, 
Whatever its solace on earth would find. 

After singing this, he turned to my son, and said: 

" See, I am come again to thee: fear not: for now 
thine affliction is at an end ; and if thou continue in the 
fear of God, thou hast nothing but comfort to hope for. 
I shall not remain long with thee, but depart from thee, 
for a time and times. But as I always remember thee? 
so do thou also think of God and me." 



262 ox apparitions, fee- 

He then sang the above words once more, and 
vanished.* 



This extremely remarkable history, I have preferred 
to many other narratives of this kind, because it is be- 
yond all doubt, perfectly true ; and that it is so, may be 
shown in a twofold manner : for first, if it were entirely 
a fabrication, I cannot imagine a more daring and 
impious piece of knavery than this; besides which, the 
whole family, at the time when the book was printed, would 
have contradicted the lie. To this must be added, that 
the whole narrative, or the manner of its composition, is 
decidedly the reverse of fiction. And Secondly, if it 
were maintained that the young man had merely seen a 
vision, and that they were only delusions of the imagi- 
nation; the singed Bible and the burned handkerchief 
contradict such an assertion, for both these are really in 
existence, and may be seen by any one. I therefore 
most justly conclude, that this apparition is a real and 
undoubted fact ; and if it be so, what may we learn from 
it I To this inquiry I will endeavour to give a satisfac- 
tory answer. 

The first thing that strikes our observation in the 
* See Note 9. 






ON APPARITIONS, &C. 263 

story is, that the son alone, and no one else, saw the spirit. 
This proves my theory of the developement of the faculty 
of presentiment. The spirit, for secret reasons, was not 
in a situation to show himself openly, on which subject 
he explained himself, saying, that though he could show 
himself to the father, and converse with him, yet the lat- 
ter would repent of it ; he therefore employed the young 
man, in whom he found a tendency to develop the faculty 
of presentiment: this developement, therefore, he gradu- 
ally effected, by working upon his imagination, during 
sleep, in which all the senses are at rest, presenting 
before it his figure, and impressing it upon it so often, 
until it adhered to it, and the spirit was then able by it 
to make himself visible to him, act further upon his in- 
ward senses, and converse with him. In a word, the 
seer became to ascertain degree, a somnambulist, and 
stood in rapport with the spirit ; the latter then commu- 
nicated his thoughts, through the oracular organ : just 
as we hear any one speak, when dreaming, which can- 
not be heard by another person, though present at the 
time : whilst the spirit, who had no longer any organi- 
zation for the visible or material world, read every thing 
that passed in the soul of the seer. Thus, what the fa- 
ther said, the spirit saw or heard in the son's faculty of 
perception, even as a magnetized person, when in a high 
degree of clear-sightedness, distinctly perceives the 
thoughts and reflections of the individual with whom he 



264 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

stands in rapport ; but if the latter desire to read in the 
soul of the magnetized person, he must be placed in the 
same situation, and become somnambulist, or what is 
the same thing, his faculty of presentiment must be de- 
veloped. From the experiments which have been made 
with magnetism, we are in a situation to explain what is 
otherwise incomprehensible in the apparitions of spirits. 

But now as to the object which the spirit had in 
view. How dreadful ! he cleaves for the space of one 
hundred and twenty years, to the money that can no 
longer be of any use to him ! How truly is the saying 
verified here, " Where your treasure is, there your 
heart is also;" and the thought that this wealth ought 
again to belong to the rightful heir, torments him like a 
fury ; particularly, because being dead to the material 
world, he lived in the spiritual world, and therefore 
according to the common course of nature, was unable 
to satisfy his desire, or reveal it to any living person. 
At length he found one of his descendants, who posses- 
sed the physical disposition, so that he could work upon 
him, and develop his faculty of presentiment : this he 
probably learned from some one lately dead, who knew 
the young man. 

But still, we must not believe that the whole affair 
was right and proper, or according to the will of God. 



OX APPARITIONS, &C. 265 

By no means; for the spirit attained to rest, without 
the removal of the money. He was mistaken in believe- 
ing that he should find repose, after having handed over 
his money to the right individual, he procured his rest 
much rather by turning to his Redeemer, and by morti- 
fying his attachment to earthly things ; and this at length 
took place, on the father and son being firm in their 
resolutions not to fetch the money on any account. 

The determination of these two pious persons is 
very remarkable, and many, on reading this narrative, 
will have considered and been astonished, why they did 
not comply with the spirit's wishes, for apparently they 
related to nothing improper. But Providence ruled 
over them, and the terror of the son, united with his 
speechlessness, was certainly the work of a superior 
power; for by this, they were chiefly deterred from 
fulfilling the will of the spirit : for supposing they had 
done as he desired them, they would most probably 
have found nothing ; for what the son saw upon the 
place, was a mere illusion, which the spirit himself pro- 
duced there, in accordance with the prevailing supersti- 
tious ideas, which he had taken with him from his 
earthly life, into the other world, namely, that evil 
spirits kept watch over hidden treasure, which ideas he 
also imparted to the imagination of the seer, so that the 






2G6 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

latter necessarily believed, likewise, that he really saw 
evil spirits, in the shape of a negro and a hound. 

Authentic instances are known to me of ghost-seers 
having been led into subterraneous vaults, where they 
saw immense treasures, surrounded by guardian spirits, 
who from attachment to earthly things, had created these 
illusions, and regarded them as something substantial, 
whilst, in reality, there was nothing at all there. Hence 
it is evident, that departed souls have a creative faculty, 
so that they can make their productions visible to them- 
selves and others. By reflecting further on this faculty 
in good and evil spirits, astonishing discoveries may be 
made. 

Now supposing that the father and son had com- 
plied with the spirit's request ; that the son had gone 
and dug up the illusion, and dragged it home, where he 
would assuredly have found nothing but raw and crude 
earth; what would have become of the spirit? He would 
either have believed that the son wes not worthy of the 
treasure, and have still continued to imagine himself in 
possession of it as before, and have tormented himself 
in the same manner, or he would have found that the 
money was lost, and that it would therefore never come 
to the rightful heir, by which, his sufferings would have 
become still greater and more permanent. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 267 

But I will also suppose the case, that the money 
had not been fetched away by those that helped to bury 
it, but that it was in reality, still there ; the spirit would 
then certainly have become more tranquil, and perhaps 
more luminous ; because the radiance of spirits is in 
proportion to their temper of mind ; but yet he w r ould 
not by this, have advanced one step higher, for his 
attachment to the money would have remained, and he 
would then have always been anxious about its being 
well and usefully applied. Jn short, it was necessary 
that he should entirely mortify his attachment to this 
mammon. 

But how could the spirit read the written interrog- 
atories ; I answer, just as a somnambulist reads what 
is laid upon the pit of his heart, (or as the Lyonese lady, 
when standing in rapport with other persons, who held 
the written document in their hands,) and knows its 
contents. 

When the spirit was angry, or much grieved, and 
when consequently some particular passion was predomi- 
nant in him, sparks were emitted from his finger ends. 
This remarkable fact proves my theory of the soul's 
luminous body ; the spirit is inseparably united with 
this etherial covering, which substance acts upon us, at 
one time, as light, at another, as electricity, or as gal- 






268 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

vanism, and as magnetism, according as it is modified 
by circumstances. From the present observations it is 
evident,, that the offensive passions make the spirit's 
body electric, and inflame it. Now if we imagine to 
ourselves the evil spirits in their anger, rage, and des- 
pair, the fire of hell is no longer a mere imagination, no 
longer an Oriental metaphor, but truth and reality. 

When a departed spirit is tranquil in its mind, its 
touch is felt to be like the softness of a cool air, exactly 
as when the electric fluid is poured upon any particular 
part of the body. The spirit's body is therefore entirely 
in the power of the mind, and it forms itself inwardly 
and outwardly according to the imagination, and the in- 
ward propensities. What horrible caricatures and mon- 
sters must therefore be produced by those, who are so 
entirely under the dominion of their evil passions ! If 
anger, lust, envy, selfishness, and the like, deform, in 
the present state, even our material bodies, how much 
more that refined substance, which assumes every form 
in a moment! But let us now also represent to ourselves 
a soul that is reconciled with God, thoroughly sanctified 
and blessed with the exalted peace of God ; must it not 
after death attain to the highest ideal of human beauty ? 

It must seem singular to many, that this spirit ap- 
peared so completely in his former customary dress, so 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 209 

that he did not even forget his horsewhip, but had it 
hung about him, because he had probably dealt in horses 
or other cattle. I know of a spirit having appeared, on 
whom the little brass shoe-buckles were perfectly cog- 
nizable. If we thoroughly consider the subject, we shall 
find all this quite natural : the spirit assumes the form 
which its imagination gives it, and the latter figures to 
itself that which has made the greatest impression upon 
it. The generality of spirits, however, appear in their 
shrouds. No spirit will give itself a more wicked form 
than corresponds to what is within ; and were it hypo- 
critically to assume a better, other spirits would soon 
unmask it, nor dare it appear in such a form in any of 
their societies. 

But from the ghost-story now under consideration, 
the well-founded supposition may be drawn, that the 
souls of departed persons change their form at every 
gradation of ascent or descent ; so that in the former 
ease, they become more beautiful and radiant, but in the 
! latter, more hateful and darker. The spirit in question 
may have been a good, honest, upright member of soci- 
ety, of which there are millions ; but he had not taken 
the true path from darkness to light, or real conversion 
and sanctiflcation, through the plan of redemption by 
Jesus Christ. He possessed the literal knowledge of 
his age ; he knew the hymns in his former hymn book ; 



270 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

but more than this he had not learnt, during one hun- 
dred and twenty years. He was, therefore, with the ex- 
ception of the long and dreadful period of his sufferings, 
still in the same state in which he died, consequently he 
retained also the same costume. But when he was at 
length delivered from his affliction, he immediately as- 
sumed a more glorious form, although he was still far 
from being ripe for real blessedness : for the singeing and 
burning of the Bible and handkerchief, appear to me to 
be a proof that his mind was still very passionately dis- 
posed ; and he continued to foster his fixed idea, that he 
son should at length obtain possession of the treasure. 

With what kind of spirits this pitiable being had as- 
sociated during this long period, the narrative does not 
mention. From other occurrences of this nature it is 
ascertained, that immediately after the departure of a 
human soul from this life, angels join it, to conduct it 
to celestial bliss. If it bring with it earthly-mindedness, 
favourite propensities, and passions, so that it is still in- 
capable of the felicity of heaven, the angels endeavour 
to instruct it better; but this is generally rejected there, 
in the same manner as when pious preachers and spiritual 
guides admonish the worldly-minded here. 

The society of the angels becomes burdensome to 
the soul, it avoids them, and seeks its like, with whom 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 27 1 

it can converse on that to which it is most attached ; 
hence societies arise of one sentiment ; but as in the 
spiritual world, every thing is utterly wanting that can 
satisfy the wishes they cherished in the material world, 
their longing grows more and more ardent and painful, 
and their ideas more and more fixed and permanent, so 
that dreadfully painful and tedious means are necessary, 
in order still to save the wretched spirit. It is highly 
probable, that these societies of spirits are under the 
superintendance of some other spirit, whom they can 
endure and are pleased with ; for even here the liberty 
of man remains untouched. But this superintendant is 
also a member of these societies, and is still in error ; 
consequently those spirits that are subordinate to him, 
whilst obeying him, -are not free from error. 

This supposition appears to me demonstrable from 
the circumstance of the spirit always betraying a depen- 
dance upon other beings, being at one time obliged to 
depart, at another, allowed to return. It is also singular, 
that every period mentioned, has the number twenty for 
its definite number: thus six times twenty make one hun- 
dred and twenty years ; and then we have also one hun- 
dred and twenty and twenty days. We are ignorant, if 
this mode of calculating time belongs to the mysteries 
of the spiritual world, or whether it be founded in the 
superstitious ideas of those to whom the spirit was subor- 



272 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

dinate ; it is however certain, that his spiritual directors 
erred in commanding and permitting him to seek assis- 
tance, in such a manner, from his descendants, who were 
still upon earth. This back road is never the proper one ; 
I am willing however to make an exception, when a 
spirit is able, by so doing, to atone, or make reparation, 
as much as possible, for the offences he had committed, 
such as murder, thefts, debts, &c. but even here I will 
not speak decisively ; it being far better that this take 
place on this side the grave. 

But that the spirit and his superiors erred, is evi- 
dent from this, that he was translated a degree higher, 
not by the prescribed and appointed method of obtaining 
possession of the treasure, but rather by the reverse. It 
was very fortunate that the spirit met with pious people, 
in whom he confided ; otherwise he would have become 
still more unhappy. Both father and son conducte 
themselves excellently, and in a truly christian-like an 
exemplary manner. They are now both of them in a 
better world, and doubtless rejoice at having thus nobly 
endured the trial. Yet there must certainly have been 
a good spirit, who was also active in the affair, who pro- 
duced such a degree of terror in the son, and bound his 
tongue when the spirit was present ; perhaps without 
this, the good people might still have let themselves be 
deceived through ignorance. 



i 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 273 

But that our great Redeemer has made, even in the 
other world, though concealed from us, most wise arrange- 
ments, by which souls may still be saved, and conducted 
to the light, though they will never attain to that bles- 
sedness, which is prepared for those whose sanctifi- 
cation is perfected here, seems to be certain. " The sin 
against the Holy Ghost, shall not be forgiven, either in 
this world or the next," consequently sins are also for- 
given in the next world ! ! ! but woe unto him that post- 
pones it till then ; for his presumption approaches near 
to the sin against the Holy Ghost! 

But the soul that will not conform itself to the 
means thus provided, and on the contrary, increasingly 
strengthens its propensities and its passions, continues 
falling into worse company, of a similar character to 
itself, until it reaches its boundary in hell. 

Forty years ago, I was acquainted with a very 
pious and enlightened tradesman, whose deep views, 
and truly holy character I have often admired. I learned 
much from him, and he told me many things before- 
hand, which were afterwards fulfilled. I visited him 
during his last illness, and witnessed his happy end. 

This friend had a modest, quiet, and reserved jour- 

T 



274 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

neyman, with whom, on account of his knowledge and 
good conduct, he lived on a confidential footing. Both 
conversed frequently upon the state of the soul after death, 
and likewise, in particular, upon the restitution of all 
things. The journeyman by degrees became consump- 
tive, but my friend kept him with him, even in this state, 
and accompanied him, as it were, to the gates of death. 
During the whole period of his illness, the above con- 
versation was continued, and my friend ventured to re- 
quest the journeyman to appear to him after his decease, 
if possible, and inform him of his state, and also respect- 
ing the restitution of all things. This the journeyman 
engaged to do, if permitted. 

The young man died soon after, and his master 
then w r aited for his visit, and for news from the other 
world. About three weeks after the decease of the jour- 
neyman, as his master, one evening about ten o'clock, 
after undressing himself in his bed-room, had just stepped 
into bed, and was still sitting up in it, he observed on 
the opposite wall, a bluish radiance, that formed itself 
to a human figure ; on which he fearlessly asked, " Is it 
thou, Johannes?" The spirit audibly answered, "Yes." 
He inquired further, how it fared with him ? The spirit 
replied, that he was in a tranquil state, in a desert and 
gloomy region, but that his fate was not yet decided. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 275 

Then followed the question respecting the restitution of 
all things ; but to this the spirit gave no other answer, 
than the following lines from an old hymn ; 

Here let us all the Lord entreat, 
And fall before his mercy-seat; 
Before our Maker let us bow. 

The word "here" is the principal point. It is here 
that we must, and that we ought to arrange our affairs 
with our merciful Saviour, and as my late uncle, John 
Stilling, once said, "Take care to be amongst the first, 
that cross the stream of Jordan." 

My friend was bold enough to request another visit, 
which also ensued, some time after, but it was terrible. 
I could never learn the particulars of it ; but it had such 
an effect, that the worthy man w r arned every one against 
such temerity, and was now convinced, that we ought 
by no means to seek intercourse with the spiritual world 
on this side the grave, but avoid it as much as possible. 

The generality of apparitions, if not all, are devia- 
tions from the divine order, and consequently sinful. We 
ought not to wish for, much less occasion them. The 
fate of our departed friends must remain a secret to us, 



276 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

as well as the maxims of divine government, according 
to which it acts in the other world. Let us content our- 
selves, till we have passed the bourn, with that which 
the Bible and unsought experience has revealed concern- 
ing it, and what we may still learn without presumptuous 
investigation. 

The surest mode of teaching is by example. I will 
relate some additional authentic apparitions, in which 
spirits have either announced their decease to their de- 
parted friends, or have had something else to communi- 
cate. In order to adhere, in the closest manner, to the 
truth, I insert my authorities word for word. The fol- 
lowing anecdote was penned down with the greatest possi- 
ble care, after being previously narrated by the under- 
mentioned imperial privy- counsellor, Von Seckendorf. 

King Frederick William I. of Prussia, the father of 
Frederick II., stood in such a friendly connexion with 
Augustus II. of Poland, that if possible, they saw one 
another at least once a year. This was also the case a 
short time before the death of the latter, who appeared 
at the time, to be in tolerable health, except that he had 
rather a serious inflammation in one of his toes. The phy- 
sicians had therefore strictly warned him against any 
excess in the use of wine, &c. ; and the King of Prussia, 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 277 

who was aware of this, gave orders to his field-marshal, 
Von Grumbkow, who was to accompany the king to the 
borders, and to entertain him there, at one of the royal 
residences, according to his rank, that at the parting 
dinner, he was carefully to avoid every thing by which 
that moderation in the use of wine, which the physicians, 
for the above reason, had so strongly recommended to 
the Polish monarch, might be exceeded. 

But on the king's desiring to have a few more bot- 
tles of Champagne, to make a finish as it were, Grumb- 
kow, who was himself fond of this wine, consented, and 
drank so much of it for his own share, that in passing 
over the courtyard of the royal villa to his quarters, he 
broke a rib against the pole of a carriage, and was there- 
fore obliged, the next morning, to be carried in a sedan 
to King Augustus, as the latter intended to pursue his 
journey very early, and had still some commissions to 
give him for the Prussian monarch. On this occasion, 
the King of Poland was only dressed in a short fur cloak, 
with the exception of a shirt open at the front. 

In this very dress, but with his eyes closed, he ap- 
peared on the 1st of February, 1733, about three o'clock 
in the morning, to field-marshal Von Grumbkow, and 
said to him : 



278 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

" Mon cher Grumbkow, je viens de mourir ee mo- 
ment a Varsovie!"* 

Grumbkow, the pain of whose broken rib, at that time 
allowed him little repose, had observed immediately be- 
fore, by the light of his night-lamp, and through his thin 
bed-curtains, that the door of his ante-room, in which his 
valet-de-chambre slept, opened, that a long human figure 
entered, which having made the tour of his bed, with a 
slow and solemn pace, on a sudden opened his bed-cur- 
tains. There stood the figure of King Augustus, ex- 
actly as the latter had presented himself alive before 
him, only a few days previous, before the astonished 
Grumbkow ; and after having spoken the words above- 
mentioned, went out of the door again. Grumbkow 
rang the bell, asked the valet-de chambre, who hastened 
in at the same door, whether he had not seen the person 
who had just come in and gone out ? but he had seen 
nothing. 

Grumbkow immediately wrote a statement of the 
whole affair to his friend, the imperial ambassador and 
field-marshal, Count Von Seckendorf, who was at that 
time at King Frederick William's court, and besought 

* "My dear Grumbkow, I have just expired at Warsaw/' 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 279 

him to communicate the matter, in a proper manner, 
to the king on the parade. On the arrival of 
Grumbkow's note at the ambassador Yon Secken- 
dorf 's, which was at five o'clock in the morning, there 
was no one with him but Von Seckendorf, his sister's 
son, and secretary to the embassy, afterwards minister at 
the Court of Brandenburg Anspach, and finally imperial 
privy-counsellor. The former said to him, whilst offer- 
ing him the note to read, " One would think that pain 
had made a visionary of Old Grumbkow : I must, how- 
ever, communicate the contents of this letter to the king, 
this very day." 

Forty-six hours after, (if I mistake not,) the news 
arrived at Berlin, by the Polish Ulans aud Prussian 
Hussars, who were stationed every ten miles from War- 
saw to Berlin, that the King of Poland died in the same 
hour at Warsaw, that Grumbkow saw the apparition.* 

It may also be added in confirmation of the above, 
from the History of the Life and Acts of Frederick Wil- 
liam I., King of Prussia — Hamburgh and Breslau, 
1735, page 454, that the King of Poland is also stated 
there to have died on the 1st of February, 1733, and 
that this event was already known in Berlin on the 4th. 

* See Note 10. 



280 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

It is also further observed, that the King of Poland, in 
his journey backwards and forwards, between Dresden 
and Warsaw, took the road from Dresden by way of 
Crossau to Karga, and from thence finally to Warsaw; 
on which occasion, the King of Prussia almost always 
sent General Grumbkow, one of his ministers of state, to 
welcome him there. 

The truth of this tale rests upon the credibility of 
persons, of whose integrity and sagacity it would be 
criminal to doubt, it is therefore a certain fact. King 
Augustus, at the approach of death, assuredly regretted 
deeply that he had so ill followed the advice of his phy- 
sicians, at Grumbkow' s entertainment ; he might also, 
at the same time, deem his host reprehensible for not 
having removed out of the way, every thing that might 
be injurious to him, and for having complied with his de- 
sire for Champagne, although lie knew the sentiments 
of the physicians, and had, besides this, received instruc- 
tions from the King of Prussia, carefully to avoid what- 
ever might be pernicious to his royal guest. Under the 
influence of this deep regret, and with this fixed idea, he 
died. The earnest desire he had to make Grumbkow 
sensible of his error, was the reason why he wrought 
upon his imagination, and developed his feeling of pre- 
sentiment: and from hence originated the apparition. 



OS! APPARITIONS, &C. 281 

On such an occasion, it must not be supposed that 
the soul of the king had to travel from Warsaw to Cros- 
sau ; he that has sufficiently apprehended the principles 
which I laid down at the very commencement of this 
work, will remember that the human soul, whilst in the 
body, is conscious of every thing in time and space, 
through the medium of its sensible organs ; but as soon 
as it leaves the body, that which we call space, substance, 
extension, distance, &c. ceases. I wish to be clearly 
understood ; the idea the soul has received in this life, 
of the objects of the material world, it possesses and re- 
tains ; but it is henceforth no longer susceptible of these 
objects, with the exception of what it learns from the 
souls that are continually arriving in the spiritual world, 
or when the unfrequent case occurs, that it enters into 
rapport with a person still living, and appears to him. 
I beg also, that it may be duly observed, that the soul 
does not change its nature ; it eternally retains the fun- 
damental principles of its powers of thought, namely, 
time and space, but both are then divested of all that is 
perceptible here ; whilst on the contrary, it becomes sus- 
ceptible of the objects of the spiritual world, but of these 
also in time and space, for it cannot be otherwise ; yet with 
this essential difference, that in time and space in the spi- 
ritual world, every thing is near, and nothing remote ; it 
can know what is taking place at a distance, and what 



2S2 OX APPARITIONS, <ScC. 

will take place in future, so far as the laws of the spiri- 
tual world permit. 

I know that many worthy individuals, and persons 
of religious sentiments suppose, that after death, we 
shall study the works of creation, travel from star to star, 
on errands of high importance, and find in so doing, a 
great part of our felicity ; such readers of this work will 
shake their heads, and be dissatisfied with my manner of 
representing the matter. However I now tell them, for 
their consolation, that I myself have this idea, but be- 
lieve it will only be realized, when the soul is in pos- 
session of its newly glorified and immortal body. 

There are several instances, and I myself know of 
persons having seen themselves, and dying shortly after- 
wards. When a person sees himself out of himself, 
whilst others who are present observe nothing, the appa- 
rition may be real, or it may be merely imaginary ; but 
when it is also perceived by others, it is no phantasy, 
but something real. 



The following anecdote was related to me by a cre- 
dible person, who had heard it stated as a fact by the 
son of the lady to whom it refers. Old Madam Yon 
M was sitting below in her parlour, and sent her 



ON APPARITIONS, SzC. 283 

maid upstairs to her bed-room to fetch something. On 
opening the door, she saw her mistress sitting there as 
naturally in her arm chair, as she had left her below. 
The woman affrighted, ran down stairs, and told the lady 
what she had seen. The latter, in order to convince 
herself of the truth, went up stairs herself, and saw her- 
self just as the maid had seen her. She died not long- 
after. 

In the fifth article of the second volume of the Mu- 
seum of Wonders, we read of the following apparition of 
this nature. M. Triplin, one of the government secre- 
taries, residing at Weimar, went up, as he was wont to 
do, to the archives, to seek for an act, on which much 
depended, and on account of which he was very uneasy. 
On arriving there, he saw 7 himself sitting upon a chair. 
Much terrified, he went home, and sent a servant- woman 
thither to fetch the documents that were lying on his 
seat. The woman, it is asserted, found him sitting there 
also, and believed he had come there before her some 
other way. 

In the following leaf, page 390, there is a tale of 
the same kind related, which has also been told me else- 
where. Becker, professor of mathematics, and morning 
preacher at St. James's Church in Rostock, being in the 
company of several young friends, whom he had invited, 



284 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

fell into a theological dispute, by maintaining that a cer- 
tain divine had expressed a particular opinion in his work ; 
but some one denying this, he withdrew, and went into 
his library to fetch the book. Here he saw himself sit- 
ting on a chair, at the table where he usually sat. He 
went nearer, looked over the right shoulder of the per- 
son who was sitting, and observed that this figure of 
himself pointed with one of the fingers of his right hand, 
to a passage in the Bible, which lay open before him. He 
looked, and saw that it was these words ; " Set thine 
house in order, for thou shalt die." He returned to the 
company, full of astonishment and dismay, and related 
the occurrence ; but although they sought to persuade 
him to the contrary, and to obviate every prejudicial 
construction of the circumstance, he continued firm in 
the opinion that this apparition betokened his death, and 
accordingly took leave of his friends. The day following, 
at six o'clock in the evening, he expired, being advanced 
in years. 

As it is impossible to explain every appearance of 
this nature by common mechanical laws, recourse is had 
to some secret powers of the soul, still undiscovered, to 
which effects are ascribed, that are still more incom- 
prehensible and incredible than the appearance of spirits. 
In order therefore to avoid admitting the latter, it is 
affirmed that Professor Becker died from fear, or from 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 285 

the impression which the imagined apparition made upon 
him. 

I am firmly persuaded that no one has ever yet 
come to his death by an impression made upon his 
imagination ; and that all those cases, which are adduced 
in proof of it, are only possible in two ways, and may 
be explained by the instance last mentioned. 

First. — If the apparition seen by Professor Becker 
was no reality, bat the mere effect of his imagination, that 
apparition was the effect of some secret bodily cause of 
his approaching end, but by no means the cause itself. 

Secondly. — But if the apparition really was a being 
from the other world, that wished to announce his death 
to him, and to give him to understand that he should 
prepare for it, the sufficient cause of death therefore 
again already existed, before he saw the apparition, 
because that was the object of the latter's appearing. 

There are certainly instances of people dying in 
consequence of sudden violent emotions of the mind, 
which overpowered all the faculties ; but it is going too 
far to explain all such appearances from this circum- 
stance. 



286 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

But who, or what was the figure that represented 

Madam Von M in the foregoing anecdote ? for every 

one easily sees, that this was no deception of the imagi- 
nation, because the lady and her servant both saw it. 

According to my theory, it was a being from the 
world of spirits, that during its life on earth, had been 

much attached to the M family, or the lady herself, 

and had ascertained her approaching decease : the desire 
to inform her of this, in order that she might be prepared 
for it, induced it to appear in this manner. 

It is certain that our deceased friends are near us, 
in whatever degree of bliss or misery they maybe; for as 
there is, properly speaking, no such thing as space, be- 
cause it exists only in our ideas, the departed soul is 
there where the object of its love is. But they are not, 
on this account, sensible of us, any more than we are of 
them ; what they know of us, they learn from souls just 
departed, and also from the arrangements concerning us, 
which are made in the spiritual world. Now when a 
spirit observes, that something extraordinary or dange- 
rous is about to happen to some one in the body, to 
whom it is much attached, it longs to make it known to 
him ; the means for this purpose are as difficult there, 
as it is here for us to enter into rapport with spirits, and 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 287 

perhaps also equally contrary to the divine order. The 
spirit, therefore, makes choice of such means as are in 
its power, as in this instance, where it took the form of 
the beloved individual, and placed itself in her seat. 
These self- apparitions are therefore a kind of presenti- 
ment, but without any developed faculty of presentiment, 
and without the co-operation of angelic beings. 

The second anecdote, regarding the government 
secretary, is imperfect ; because we are not told whether 
he really found the documents upon the table, or whe- 
ther it was a mere illusion ; and whether he died soon 
after or not. If the tale be true, it was a friendly spirit 
who sought to help him out of his dilemma. 

One of the most remarkable warning apparitions, is 
that which had reference to the Duke of Buckingham. It 
is also authentic, and no fictitious or embellished story, as 
I know from good authority. I will now insert it liter- 
ally, as it is found in the Museum of Wonders, 2d. vol. 
2d. Sec. page 89. 

The Duke of Buckingham was prime minister to 
Charles I. King of England, whose favorite he was ; and 
being looked upon as the author of the arbitrary acts in 
which the king indulged, he was much hated by the 
people, and afterwards lost his life in a violent manner, 



288 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

being stabbed with a knife by Lieutenant Eelton, in the 
thirty- sixth year of his age. Lord Clarendon, in his 
History of the Rebellion and Civil War in England, 
gives the following account of an apparition, which pre- 
ceded the death of the Duke of Buckingham. 

Amongst the officers of the wardrobe at Windsor, 
was a man who was universally esteemed for his integ- 
rity and prudence, and who was at that time, about fifty 
years of age. This man had been brought up in his 
youth, at a college in Paris, where George Villiers, the 
father of the Duke of Buckingham, was also educated, 
with whom he formed an intimate friendship, but had 
never spoken with him since that period. 

As this keeper of the robes was lying in his bed at 
Windsor, in perfect health, seven months before the mur- 
der of the Duke, there appeared to him, at midnight, a 
man of venerable aspect, who drew aside the curtains of 
his bed, and asked him, whilst looking at him steadfastly, 
if he did not know him ? At first, he made no reply, 
being half dead through fear. But on being asked the 
second time, whether he did not remember ever to have 
seen him? the recollection of George Villiers, from the 
similarity of features and dress occurred to him; he 
therefore said, he took him for George Villiers. The 
apparition replied that he was in the right, and begged 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 289 

of him to do him the favour, to go to his son the Duke 
of Buckingham in his name, and tell him, " that he must 
exert himself to make himself popular, or at least to 
sooth the embittered minds of the people, otherwise he 
would not be suffered to live long." After these words, 
the apparition vanished, and the good man, whether he 
was fully awake or not awake, slept quietly till morning. 

On awaking, he regarded the apparition as a dream, 
and paid no particular attention to it. A night or two 
afterwards, the same person appeared again, in the very 
same place, and at the same hour, with rather a more 
serious aspect than the first time, and asked him if he 
had executed the commission he had given him. As the 
apparition knew very well that he had not done . so, it 
reproached him very severely, and added, that it had ex- 
pected greater compliance from him ; and that if he would 
not fulfil its request, he should have no rest, but that it 
would follow him every where. 

The terrified keeper of the robes promised obedi- 
ence ; but in the morning he was still irresolute, and 
knew not what to do. He could not bring himself to 
regard this second apparition, w r hich was so clear and ob- 
vious, as a dream a and yet on the other hand, the high 
rank of the Duke, the difficulty of obtaining admission 
to his presence, and above all, the consideration how he 
u 



290 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

should make the Duke believe the thing, seemed to nim 
to defeat the execution of his errand, and to render it 
impossible. 

He was for some days undetermined what he should 
do, at length he took the resolution to be as inactive in 
the matter as before. But a third and more dreadful 
vision than the two former now succeeded ; the appari- 
tion reproached him in a bitter tone, with not fulfilling 
his promise. The keeper of the robes confessed that he 
had delayed the accomplishment of that which had been 
imposed upon him, on account of the difficulty of ap- 
proaching the Duke, as he knew no one through whom 
he could hope to gain admission to him ; and even if he 
found means to obtain an audience, yet the Duke would 
not believe that he had received such a commission, he 
would look upon him as insane, or suppose that he sought 
to deceive him, either from personal malice, or from be- 
ing prompted to it by designing people. In this manner, 
his ruin would be inevitable. But the apparition con- 
tinued firm to its purpose, and said that he should have 
no rest, until he had complied with its desire. It also 
added, that admittance to his son was easy, and that 
those who wished to speak with him, need not wait long. 
In order, however, that he might gain credence, it would 
state to him two or three circumstances, but of which he 
must mention nothing to any one, except to the Duke 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 291 

himself, who upon hearing it, would give credit to the 
rest of his story also. 

The man now believed himself under the necessity 
of obeying this third demand of the apparition, and there- 
fore set off the next morning for London ; and as he was 
intimately acquainted with Sir Ralph Freeman, the mas- 
ter of requests, who had married a near relative of the 
Duke's, he waited upon him, and besought him to assist 
him with his influence to obtain an audience, having 
matters of importance to communicate to the Duke, 
which demanded great privacy, and some time and pa- 
tience. 

Sir Ralph knew the prudence and modesty of the 
man, and concluded from what he had heard only in ge- 
neral expressions, that something extraordinary was the 
cause of his journey. He therefore promised compli- 
ance, and that he would speak with the Duke on the 
subject. He seized the first opportunity to mention to 
the Duke the good character of the man, and his wish for 
an audience, and communicated to him every thing he 
knew of the matter. The Duke gave him for answer, 
that he was going early the following day, with the king, 
to the chase, and that his horses would wait for him at 
Lambeth Bridge, where he intended to land, at five in the 



292 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

morning ; and if the man would attend him there, he 
might converse with him as long as was necessary. 

Sir Ralph did not fail to conduct the keeper of the 
robes, at the hour appointed, to the place, and introduce 
him to the Duke on his landing from the vessel. The 
Duke received him very courteously, took him aside, 
and spoke with him nearly a full hour. There was no 
one at the place, but Sir Ralph and the Duke's servants ; 
but all of them stood at such a distance, that it was im- 
possible for them to hear any thing of the conversation, 
although they saw that the Duke spoke frequently with 
much emotion. Sir Ralph Freeman, who had his eyes 
constantly fixed upon the Duke, observed this still bet- 
ter than the rest : and the keeper of the robes told him, 
on their return to London, that when the Duke heard 
the particular incidents, which he revealed to him, in or- 
der to make the rest of his communication credible, he 
changed colour, and affirmed, that no one but the devil 
could have disclosed this to him; because none but he, 
(the Duke,) and another person knew of it, of whom he 
was convinced, that she had told it to no one. 

The Duke continued the chase, it was however ob- 
served that he frequently left the company, and appeared 
sunk in deep thought, and took no part in the pleasure. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 293 

He left the chase the same forenoon, alighted at White- 
hall, and repaired to his mother's apartments, with whom 
he was closeted for two or three hours. Their loud con- 
versation was heard into the adjoining apartments; and 
when he came out, much disturbance, mingled with an- 
ger, was visible in his countenance, which had never be- 
fore been observed after conversing with his mother, for 
whom he always testified the greatest respect. The 
Countess was found in tears after the departure of her 
son, and plunged into the deepest grief. So much is 
known and ascertained, that she did not seem surprised, 
when she received the news of the assassination of the 
Duke, which followed some months afterwards. It would 
therefore appear, that she had previously foreseen it, and 
that her son had informed her of what the keeper of the 
robes had discovered to him; nor did she manifest that 
grief in the sequel, which she must necessarily have 
felt at the loss of such a beloved son. 

It is privily related, that the particular circumstan- 
ces, of which the keeper of the robes reminded the Duke, 
had reference to a forbidden intercourse, which he had 
with one of his very near relatives; and as he had 
every reason to suppose that the lady herself would not 
speak of it, he thought that besides herself, only the 
Devil could know and say any thing of it. 



294 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

In the British Plutarch, additional presages are 
adduced, which are said to have reference to the death 
of the Duke of Buckingham ; but these may all have 
originated in the above apparition. 

This remarkable narrative furnishes materials for 
several important remarks. 

Why did not George Villiers appear to his son him- 
self? Probably because the latter had no natural dispo- 
sition to the developement of his faculty of presenti- 
ment ; the Duke would perhaps also have regarded the 
whole affair as a deception of the imagination, and have 
made light of it; but this he could not do when his father 
appeared to his former friend, and revealed a secret to 
him which, the latter could not possibly have known, 
without the intervention of a real apparition ; and sup- 
posing the father had himself told the secret to his son, 
yet this would not have prevented the son from continu- 
ing to regard it as a play of the imagination, seeing that 
he knew the secret, and that it was present to his mind. 

This narrative is another proof to us, that our de- 
parted friends learn our circumstances and affairs, take 
an interest in them, and strive to co-operate for our 
welfare. A beatified spirit, that has already attained to 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 295 

the vision of God its Redeemer, does not make choice 
of this retrograde mode of acting ; but supplicates the 
favour of its compassionate Saviour, that by his allme- 
diating providence he would overrule the matter for good ; 
but if a melancholy event cannot be prevented, because 
it must operate for the general good, it adores the will of 
its heavenly Father, and is tranquillized; but a soul 
that after death, still lives in, and concerns itself with 
terrestrial things, and would gladly always have a hand 
in matters, selects such illegal means, makes itself visi- 
ble, when it finds opportunity, and occasions great per- 
plexity to those to whom it appears. 

It is to be lamented that such extremely interesting 
events as the appearing of spirits, should be treated with 
so much contempt, and rejected as a subject of disgrace ; 
and that he who asserts, that he has seen any thing of the 
kind, should be laughed at, ridiculed, and pitied, as a 
man of weak intellect. Every thing ought to be candidly 
and minutely investigated, and though in a hundred 
stories of this kind, ninety-nine be found deceptions, yet 
yet if the hundredth be true, the spirit that appears, is our 
brother, at whose fate we ought not to remain indifferent. 

But then it is also necessary, in such a case, that 
we should know what is our duty ; and to point out this, 
is one of the principal objects of this work. 



296 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

Had I been in the place of the keeper of the robes, 
and was at length certain of the real presence of the de- 
ceased father of the Duke, I would have earnestly turned 
myself to God, have humbly sought his protection, and 
then in a firm and manly manner, have addressed the 
spirit as follows : — 

Dear friend, I grieve to see, that thou hast not yet 
attained unto rest, and art still not in the right way to 
arrive thither. Remember what thy Redeemer and mine 
has said, " They have Moses and the Prophets: if they 
will not hear them, neither will they believe, though one 
rose from the dead." The Lord has innumerable ways 
and means of influencing the heart of thy son ; apply to 
him, beseech him to deliver thy son, and do not seek 
assistance from weak mortals like myself. If it can be 
done, consistently with his counsels, he will certainly 
have mercy on him ; but if his death be determined for 
the general good, my mission would also be in vain : and 
in order to become the instrument of his deliverance, I 
must first receive the commission from a higher hand. 
Jesus Christ have mercy on thee ! The Lord bless thee, 
and give thee peace !" In these sentiments, I would have 
continued unshaken, and would have always acted upon 
the same principles, in the event of future apparitions. 

But in speaking thus, I will not say, that the keeper 



ON APPARITIONS, &C 297 

of the robes did wrong : he finally followed his conviction ; 
but if he had acted according to the above principles, he 
perhaps would have elevated the spirit sensibly higher, as 
was the case in the preceeding narrative of the hidden 
treasure. Experience and the Word of God are my gua- 
rantee, that I have judged right in this matter. What 
did the message and warning conveyed by the keeper of 
the robes avail the poor spirit or the Duke ? Nothing 
whatever! The Duke, whether in jest or in earnest, as- 
cribed the apparition to the Devil, and there it rested. 
As long as the mind is not brought to a deep and thorough 
acquaintance with, and to a heart-rending conviction of 
its unspeakably great moral depravity, and thus incited by 
true penitence and sincere conversion to hasten to Christ, 
and with a real and operative faith, to seek for peace, 
and the forgiveness of sins in his vicarious death, al* 
apparitions, and their warnings avail nothing. They 
may arouse the individual, and awaken transient reflec- 
tion, but otherwise, they are of no more use, than any 
other verbal or written admonition, for which purpose 
we have no need of instruments from the other world. 

The following narrative of an apparition was sent 
me by a very pious preacher. I am well acqainted with 
this truly apostolic man, and am sure, that he never writes 
a word, of the truth of which he is not perfectly convinced. 



298 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

Here follows a faithful copy of the statement confided to 



me. 



" Copy of a statement given me at my repeated 
request, which I shall destroy, after making this dup- 
licate for Mr. Jung, Aulic Counsellor, in order that 
after my death, it may not be made a bad use of."* 

"After my marriage in 1799, writes the wife of the 
preacher, at N , I had two visions, w r hich were in- 
explicable to me : one that was pleasant, and another 
that was unpleasant. The first was as follows. On the 
20th of December of the same year, there appeared to 
me, whilst I was sitting at my work-table, engaged in 
female employments, a little human figure like a friendly 
child, clothed in a white robe ; I attempted to seize it 
but it vanished. Some time after, the same figure again 
appeared to me, and I ventured to ask it, who it was ? 
The answer was, 'I died whilst a child.' 

" Quest. — What is thy name ? 

" Ans. — Call me Immanuel. 

* I hope to avoid this abuse, by leaving out the names, and 
whatever else might make the matter cognizable. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 299 

" From that time, this being appeared to me fre- 
quently, almost daily, in the morning at seven, at noon, 
and in the evening at six o'clock. Sometimes it ap- 
proached near me ; at other times it hovered in the air in 
the room, walked up and down, and made corporeal 
movements. 

" It once appeared to me on a journey, several miles 
distant from my residence, and the coach being once in 
danger of being overturned, it held it up by force. Ano- 
ther time, on visiting a lady of rank, this being also pre- 
sented itself. It comes, likewise, when other persons are 
with me, and speaks to me generally in its own language, 
which to my own astonishment I soon learnt to under- 
stand and speak. It sometimes informs me of what is 
about to happen ; for instance, it tells me that such a 
friend of mine will soon die ; that my mother is i]l ; that 
I shall receive a visit to-day from ; that my qua- 
lity friends are unwell, and the like. It also makes it- 
self visible in the night, and in the dark, so that I am 
awakened by it, or hindered from sleeping. I urgently 
requested the little Immanuel to let my husband see 
him, but he refused, and said, * It would not be well to 
do so, and that he, my husband, would soon leave this 
world if he did.' I asked, what was the reason that I 
alone was able and permitted to see him ? The reply 



300 ON APPAUITIONS, &C. 

was, * There are few persons, who are destined to see 
such things.' 

" More than once, I saw our churchyard full of hu- 
man figures, who were celebrating a festival, such as that 
of the Birth of our Saviour, Good Friday, &c. and in 
autumn, one particular hour, when Immanuel told me to 
fall upon my knees, and lay myself upon my face. The 
language of Immanuel, as also that of the choral figures, 
was so soft, that I am unable to describe it. On one of 
these solemn occasions, with the little Immanuel's per- 
mission, I called my husband; but he saw nothing more 
than a green place, and the churchyard illuminated." 

" So far my wife's account, to which I add : 

" I. — The visits of this being, that calls himself 
Immanuel, continue from one year to another. He ap- 
pears almost daily, all on a sudden, and after staying a 
short time, vanishes again. Once he came at noon, 
whilst I was present. My wife gave me a hint of his 
being there, but I saw nothing. I observed, however, 
that the table shook, at which we were dining, which I 
could not ascribe to any visible power. On asking from 
whence the motion proceeded, my wife answered • from 
, he is under ,' (in a half whisper). 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 301 

" II. — Two of our children also saw and remarked 
this figure. The son, a boy of about six years of age, 
saw it soaring up the wall, on the ceiling, and walking 
about ; and an infant in its mother's arms, laughed at, 
and tried to seize the child-like form. 

H III.— I wrote down some expressions, in the Ro- 
man character, of the language in which Immanuel and 
my wife converse together, which she dictated to me ; 
but have mislaid the note. I know not to what extent 
it is carried, or how far both parties are able to express 
themselves in this language." 

The minister's wife now states further: — - 

" It was on the 15th of June, in the year 1800, on 
a Saturday forenoon, that I had the second apparition, 
whilst washing myself : some one knocked at my room- 
door, which immediately opened, and a black figure, in 
the form of a man, clothed as a clergyman, his hat under 
his arm, and wearing his own hair, a ruff about his neck, 
with many plaits, according to the ancient mode, went 
up to my sleeping child, and looked at it. I ran terri- 
fied out of the room, and the figure retired through ano- 
ther door, which it closed with such violence, that the 
latch was thrown to a considerable distance. 



302 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

" Five years afterwards, say in 1805, likewise on a 
Saturday in June, at three o'clock in the afternoon, I 
observed that some one played with the room door, con- 
tinually opening and shutting it. Thinking it was my 
husband, as I noticed something of a black coat, I called 
out, ' Do come in!' when behold, the black clergyman 
entered ! I ran terrified away, and he threw a chair af- 
ter me, that wounded me in the heel, I called my hus- 
band, and went into the room with him ; we found the 
ehair still lying, but no one there." 

" My wife related some other anecdotes to me, 
which I pass over for brevity's sake, and am, &c. 



Pastor of -, 21st Aug. 1807. 

This narrative contains several things that afford a 
remarkable insight into the spiritual world. That it was 
no empty vision, which the minister's wife saw, but in 
reality a being from the invisible world, is certain, because 
even the children observed the little angel. With res- 
pect to these, and particularly to the infant in arms, 
there can be no deception. The springing away of the 
latch, the wounding of the lady's heel, and the chair 
thrown upon the floor are also proofs of the real presence 
of the unhappy spirit of some former clergyman. On 



ON APPARITIONS, &C SOS 

the occasion of the extremely remarkable solemnity in 
the churchyard, the minister saw nothing except the church- 
yard illuminated. I regret that I do not know whether 
the churchyard had been illuminated by the inhabitants 
or if the light really proceeded from spirits ; on this point 
much depends ; for the minister saw the light also ; this 
was likewise no empty vision, but a real solemnity. 
Departed souls, therefore, celebrate the festivals of their 
Redeemer and Saviour in Hade* ! in time they shall see 
him as he is, and celebrate his feasts in his presence. 

On this occasion, I must insert a remark, which I re- 
quest may be seriously taken to heart. Many of my read- 
ers dread an abode in Hades. Dread it not, my friends! 
only seek to have an occasion to stay there. He that has 
entirely dedicated himself to the Lord, committed him- 
self wholly to him, and found forgiveness of sins in his 
atoning death, who leaves behind him no unexpiated 
crimes, and posesses no longer any predominant earthly 
passion, no attachment to any sensible object, soars, 
immediately, on awaking from death, through Hades, 
to the realms of light, and to the presence of Jehovah. 

Nor has Hades, abstractedly considered, any thing 
in it of a painful nature ; but at the same time, it has 
not the smallest thing that can afford delight and enjoy- 
ment to the departed spirit, except what the latter brings 



304 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

with it. If the individual have left the world, whilst 
undergoing the process of sanctification, and still retains 
something or other, for which there is no admission into 
the celestial regions, he must remain in Hades, till all 
this be laid aside ; but he suffers no pain, except what 
he causes himself. 

The real torment felt in Hades, is the longing after 
the things of this world, from which the soul has parted 
for ever. Think of a man, who has lived entirely in sen- 
sual lusts and pleasures, and has been unacquainted with 
the superior felicity of those spiritual enjoyments, which 
religion affords : he may have been otherwise a good 
honest citizen, and not a vicious character, but dies with- 
out a serious and thorough conversion, and without hav- 
ing turned with his whole soul to God. What must he feel 
in that obscure and entirely empty region, which is so 
utterly destitute of every object which could act upon a 
single sense ! His whole earthly course, with all its 
gratifications, now presents itself in a lively manner to his 
mind, he remembers every thing he has left behind, much 
more distinctly than before : he now longs to return 
whither it is for ever impossible to him. He therefore 
seeks a miserable gratification in his imagination, by re- 
presenting to himself anew, every thing that was lovely 
and pleasing to him, and likewise seeks to realize them ; 
but as the materials for this are wanting, the wretched 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 305 

phantoms, which his imagination forms, are merely vision- 
ary, and his poverty-stricken spirit finds no where nou- 
rishment. Thus he carries the seeds of hell ahout with 
him, and every thing now depends upon what course he 
adopts. There is no want of good spirits, who kindly 
and charitably instruct him what he has to do, in order 
to become a partaker of celestial blessings ; that is, he 
must purify his imagination from every image, and as 
they depart, gradually lose also the love to earthly things. 
But this is attended with much more difficulty there, than 
in this world : here a man lives in the full enjoyment of 
sensible nature ; the mortification of the things of sense 
takes place by degrees, and whilst he forsakes the one, 
he continues to enjoy the other, till this also falls away, 
and he becomes at length indifferent to all things. To 
this, one thing more must be added, which is, that as the 
man dies to the world, his inward spiritual enjoyment 
increases, and this is also strengthened and augmented 
by the consideration of the glorious perfections of God, 
which are manifested in the visible world. In short, 
this present life is entirely adapted to lead back the fal- 
len sinner, in the easiest and most convenient manner, to 
his origin and to bliss. But in Hades, where all food 
for the soul is wanting, to be obliged to part with the very 
last poor enjoyment, before the relish for a better can be 
obtained, is dreadful ! and yet this is the only way of 
arriving at a state of blissful rest. He that does not 
x 



306 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

follow this path, but seeks to compose his spirit, by 
associating with other spirits like himself, strengthens 
the phantoms of his imagination more and more, and 
with them, the torment occasioned by his longing after 
this world, which at length awakens in him fury, rage, 
and madness, and makes him ripe for hell. Praying for 
departed souls is not to be rejected. But I return to my 
explication of the previous narrative. 

This apparition distinguishes itself, from those pre- 
ceding it, in this respect, that neither of the beings from 
the other world had any request to make of the minister's 
wife ; it therefore appears to have had in reality no spe- 
cific object, and to have originated solely in the lady's 
developed faculty of presentiment, by which she first 
entered into rapport with the little Immanuel, who seems 
to be her guardian angel. She has therefore a natural 
disposition to intercourse with spirits; but this is always 
a deviation from the laws of nature. She ought not, 
therefore, to attach any value to it ; for if she take a 
pleasure in it, the faculty of presentiment will develop 
itself still more, she will come into connexion with other 
spirits, and may then be dreadfully misled. But though 
this may not be the case, her health will suffer from it, 
and she will sooner pass into the company of spirits, than 
would have otherwise been her fate. She ought not, 
however, to grieve her little guardian angel, but be kind 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 307 

towards him ; nor ought she to avoid his company, but 
by no means to seek it ; endeavouring, at the same time, 
most earnestly and fervently, and with constant prayer, 
to retain the Lord always in her recollection, that she 
may not err in this dangerous path, nor shorten her days. 
I mention these things for the worthy lady's instruction, 
in the Lord's name, and recommend her to the protec- 
tion of our most merciful Redeemer. 

With respect to the deplorable black spirit, he is 
probably one of the present preacher's predecessors, who 
still seeks something there, and is vexed that the preach- 
er's wife is able to see him : or what is more probable, 
he seizes the opportunity to evince his displeasure, that 
no longer he, but another fills the situation. 

O how much is this poor unhappy being to be 
pitied ! If it be possible, O Lord, have mercy on him ! 
But here I must insert a very important warning. Be- 
ware of identifying this apparition with any one of the 
former clergymen ! Judge not, my beloved, but judge 
yourselves.* 

What the little angel said to the lady, respecting 
her husband, is also remarkable, " That if he appeared 

* This black spirit is now removed by the prayers of the minis- 
ter; he no longer appears. 



308 ON APPARITIONS, &C« 

to him, it might cost him his life," and that " There 
are few persons who are destined to see things of 
this nature." This proves my assertion, that 1 the deve- 
lopement of the faculty of presentiment is dangerous,, 
and has an injurious effect on the physical constitution. 

An idea still occurs to me with respect to the festive 
figures in the churchyard, whether departed souls do not 
occasionally clothe themselves with their resurrection 
germs, and are thus able to approach nearer to the ma- 
terial world. For there are also wandering spirits, 
which are seen of many, even without a developement of 
the faculty of presentiment; these have most probably 
a more material covering. But as the resurrection-germ 
is concealed from the eye of sense, and as those only see 
it, who have a physical ability for it ; spirits must there- 
fore be able, by means of this resurrection-germ, to at- 
tract atmospheric particles, and form to themselves an 
appropriate figure from them. 

It is a fixed principle with me, not to include any 
anecdotes in this work, of the certainty of which I have 
no proofs ; otherwise I could adduce instances, in which 
courageous persons have approached black and danger- 
ous spirits, and even gone through them ; but they after- 
wards felt the bad effects of it, by swellings arising in the 
skin, and severe illness ensuing. A certain watchman 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 309 

of the name of Osmann, who is said to have formerly 
lived in Erfurt, is reported to have died in consequence 
of a circumstance of this kind ; and it is affirmed that 
the matter underwent a judicial investigation at the 
time. Let us beware of presumption on the one hand, 
and of timidity on the other. The true christian avoids 
unnecessary dangers ; in other respects, he is afraid of 
nothing ; he continues in the path of his vocation, and 
when any thing of this nature occurs to him, he exa- 
mines it with circumspection, and if he finds it to be 
really a spirit, he points it, in the name of Jesus, and 
with affectionate earnestness, to the place whither it be- 
longs. As to the raising of spirits, it is impious and 
unlawful presumption ; and the conjuring and banishing 
of them, unkind and unchristian.* 

Before I proceed further, I must lay before my 
readers, and explain according to my theory, the well- 
known story of the apparition in Brunswick, because it 
has reference to a spirit, that had still something to 
regulate in this world, which hindered its progress. 
There is no doubt of the truth of the narrative ; I know 
it from many authentic sources, and insert it here lite- 
rally, as related in the 5th article of the 2nd vol. of the 
Museum of Wonders. 

* See Note 11. 



310 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

In the year 1756, there died in Brunswick, shortly 
after St. John's day, a M. Doerien, one of the proctors 
of the Caroline College ; a man who had always filled 
his office with all fidelity and watchfulness, and who 
was distinguished by a soft and even temper, and a sin- 
cerity both prudent and natural. Immediately before 
his death, he requested that M. Hoefer, another of the 
proctors, and an intimate friend of his, might be sent for, 
having something necessary to mention to him. The 
latter, although he was already in bed, would not leave 
his friend's request unfulfilled, and therefore went to him ; 
but he came too late, the patient being already in the 
agonies of death. After some time, a report was spread, 
that first one, and then another, had seen the apparition 
of the deceased in the College ; but as this intelligence 
proceeded merely from the young people, little attention 
was paid to it ; on the contrary, it was declared to be 
all the result of imagination under the influence of fear. 
At length, an event occurred, in the month of October 
1 7£6, which induced many to attach importance to the 
tale, instead of rejecting it as totally untrue, as had pre- 
viously been the case. The deceased Doerien appeared 
to M. Hoefer at the hour, when, according to custom, he 
went his rounds in the College, between eleven and 
twelve at night, in order to see if his subordinates were 
in bed, and every thing in proper order. On coming to 
the apartment of M. Lampadius, he saw the deceased 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 311 

sitting close to it, in his common night-gown, and white 
night- cap, whieh he held down with his right hand ; so 
that only half of his face, say the lower part, from the 
chin to the eyes, could be seen, but this, however, most 
distinctly. This unexpected sight terrified M. Hoefer 
in some degree, but in the consciousness of being in the 
path of duty, he soon recollected himself, and went into 
the room ; after he had found all right, he shut the door 
after him, and observed the phantom he had before seen, 
still fixed in its former position. He took courage to 
go up to it, and held the light directly to its face ; but 
then such a horror came over him, that he could scarcely 
withdraw his hand again, which from that moment was 
so swollen, that some months elapsed before it was 
healed. 

The following day, he related this singular occur- 
rence to M. Oeder professor of mathematics, who, as a 
philosopher, would not believe the tale, but declared it 
to be either a trick or a delusion of the imagination. 
But in order to ascertain the matter more correctly, he 
offered to accompany M. Hoefer the same night, calcu- 
lating, with confidence, upon convincing him that he had 
either seen nothing, or that he had suffered himself to 
be deceived by a spectre of flesh and blood. Both went 
therefore, between eleven and twelve o'clock to the place 
above-mentioned ; but as soon as they came near the 



312 ON APPARITIONS, <SrC. 

room, Professor Oeder exclaimed with a great assevera- 
tion, " There is Doerien in reality !" M. Hoefer went 
silently into the room, and on his return, the apparition 
was still sitting in its customary position as it had done 
the night before. They looked at it minutely, for some 
time : every thing was distinctly visible, they could 
even clearly distinguish its swarthy beard, yet neither 
of them had the courage to speak to it, or to touch it, 
but both went away fully convinced, that they had seen 
the late proctor Doerien, who had died some time before. 
The news of thfs event extended itself more and more, 
and many persons went to the place pointed out, to con- 
vince themselves of the truth of the matter, by ocular 
demonstration, but their attempts were fruitless. 

Professor Oeder himself wished to see the phantom 
once more, for which purpose, he frequently went to the 
place, and sought it in every corner, with a firm deter- 
mination of addressing it ; but the trouble he took was 
not recompensed by any result corresponding with his 
wishes ; on which account, he once expressed himself 
as follows, " I have gone after the spirit long enough to 
please him ; if he now wants any thing, let him come to 
me." But what followed ? About fourteen days after, 
when he was thinking any thing else than of ghosts, he 
was suddenly and rudely awakened, between three and 
four o'clock in the morning, by some external motion. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 313 

On opening his eyes, he saw an apparition, opposite to 
the bed, standing by the clothes-press, which was only 
two paces from it, that presented itself in the same attire 
as the spirit. He raised himself up, and could then 
clearly discern the whole face. He fixed his eyes stead- 
fastly upon the phantom, until after a period of eight 
minutes, it became invisible. 

The next morning, he was again awakened about 
the same time, and saw the same apparition, only with 
this difference, that the door of the press made a creak- 
ing noise, just as if some one leaned upon it. This time 
the spirit remained longer, so that Professor Oeder 
spoke to it as follows ; " Get thee hence, thou evil spi- 
rit, what hast thou to do here ?" At these words, the 
phantom made all kinds of dreadful motions, waved its 
head, its hands, and its feet in such a manner, that the 
terrified professor began to pray, " Who trusts in God, 
&c." and " God the Father dwell with us, &c." on 
which the spirit vanished. 

After this, Oeder enjoyed eight days of rest and 
peace, during which the spirit did not trouble him ; 
but when these were expired, the apparition again 
showed itself, at three o'clock in the morning, but with 
this difference, that it came from the press directly 
towards him, and inclined its head over him, so that 



814 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

no longer able to contain himself, lie sprung up in 
his bed, and attacked the spirit with violence. The lat- 
ter retreated to the press, but scarcely had he laid him- 
self down, than the spirit seemed desirous of hazarding 
another attack, and again approached the professor. The 
latter now observed, that the ghost had a short tobacco- 
pipe in its mouth, which, perhaps, through fear, he had 
not previously remarked. This circumstance, and the 
spirit's very mild mien, which seemed more friendly than 
angry, diminished his terror, and encouraged him to ad- 
dress the spirit as follows, " Are you still owing any 
thing?" He knew beforehand that the deceased had left 
some debts, to the amount of a few dollars, which occa- 
sioned the inquiry. At this question, the spirit retreated 
some paces backwards, lifted itself straight up, just as if 
desirous of listening to some one with attention. He 
repeated the question once more, on which the spirit 
passed its right hand backwards and forwards over its 
mouth. The black beard, which Professor Oeder could 
distinctly perceive, caused him to inquire whether he 
had still to pay his barber ? on which the spirit slowly 
shook its head several times. The white tobacco-pipe 
gave rise to a new inquiry, " Are you perhaps owing 
something for tobacco ?" here it retreated, and suddenly 
disappeared. Professor Oeder mentioned this new oc- 
currence, the same day, to Counsellor Erath, who was 
one of the four trustees of the college, and in whose house 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 315 

the sister of the deceased resided ; and he immediately 
took measures for the payment of the debt. 

This interview with the spirit having turned out so 
successfully, Professor Seidler was induced to remain 
with Oecler the following night, as it was conjectured the 
spirit would appear again, which was also the case. At 
five in the morning, Oeder suddenly awoke, and found 
his uninvited guest, not, as formerly, at the press, but 
near it, close to the white wall. It did not, however, con* 
tinue there long, but went up and down the room, as if 
desirous of ascertaining what other person was in the bed. 
At length it approached the bed, on which Professor 
Oeder jogged his friend Seidler, and said to him, voyez ! 
(look !) The latter immediately collected himself, but 
saw nothing further than something white ; and the mo- 
ment after, Oeder said, " Now it vanishes.'' They con- 
versed a considerable time upon the circumstance, and 
Oeder was dissatisfied that the spirit did not remain 
longer. He asked Seidler if he should cite it; but to 
this the latter would not consent ; and as Professor Oe- 
der said nothing further, Seidler believed he wished to 
fall asleep again, this Seidler was also willing to do, 
when all at once, Oeder sprang up in the bed, laid about 
him on all sides, and with a dreadful voice exclaimed, 
" Thou must leave this place, thou hast troubled me 
long enough ; hast thou any thing to say to me, be brief, 



316 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

or give me to understand what it is, by some obvious 
sign, and do not come here again." 

Seidler heard all this, but could see nothing. Now 
when Oeder had in some measure composed himself, 
Seidler asked the cause of his vehemence, and received 
for answer, that the spirit came a second time, whilst 
they were talking together, placed itself, first of all, before 
the bed, afterwards came close to it, and laid with its 
whole body upon it. From this time, Professor Oeder 
kept some one with him all night, and burnt a watch- 
light also, which he had never done before. The effect 
of this was, that although he saw nothing, yet he was 
almost always awakened, after three or five o'clock, by 
an uncommon sensation, or rather tickling, which sensa- 
tion he asserted he had never felt before. He described 
it as being like the feeling produced, when a person is 
stroked from head to foot with a bunch of feathers. He 
also frequently heard a noise at the clothes press, or a 
knocking at the room door. But by degrees, both were 
discontinued, so that he believed himself rid of his guest 
for the future ; he therefore slept again alone, and burnt 
a light no longer. 

Two nights passed quietly over in this manner; but 
the third night, the spectre was again there at the accus- 
tomed hour, although visibly darker. It had a new sign 



ON APPARITIONS, &C 317 

in its hand, with which it made strange motions ; it was 
like a picture, and had a hole in the centre, into which 
the spirit frequently put its hand. Oeder had the bold- 
ness to say to it, " That it must explain itself more 
clearly, otherwise he could not guess what it would have ; 
or if it were unable to do this, it might come nearer." 
The spirit shook its head at both these requests, and va- 
nished. 

The same scenes occurred several times, even in the 
presence of another proctor of the college. After long 
ruminating and inquiring what the deceased might mean 
by these signs, so much was at length elicited, that a 
short time before his illness, he had taken some paintings 
in a magic-lantern from a picture dealer, on trial, which 
had not been returned. The paintings were given to 
the rightful owner, and from that time, Oeder continued 
undisturbed. The professor communicated this occur- 
rence with the spirit to the Court, and to several learned 
men, such as the then Abbe Jerusalem, Professor 
Gebauer,in Gottingen, and Professor Segner; and offered 
to verify his testimony upon oath." 

Thus far the narrative, as related in the "Museum 
of Wonders." Now, can it be imagined, that this appa- 
rition is also supposed to have been a mere deception of 
the imagination? And yet such is the case, contrary 



318 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

both to conscience, better knowledge, and every inward 
conviction. It is asserted, that all who saw the apparition? 
merely imagined they saw it, and that the prudent M. 
Hoefer's arm swelled in consequence of this imagination, 
whilst guarding himself against deception : that it was a 
mere delusion of the imagination that caused Oeder to 
guess at the debt due for tobacco, and to take measures 
for the payment, and also for the same reason, to send back 
the borrowed paintings on glass to the person to whom 
they belonged ! ! ! No, it is impossible that a reasonable 
man can be serious in maintaining such irrational opini- 
ons. But why do people assert such nonsense ? The 
answer is, in order to overthrow that dreadful monster, 
superstition ; just as if that were superstition, when a 
person sees, and hears, and is conscious in every sense 
of some remarkable natural phenomenon, rationally ex- 
amines it, and then draws inferences from it ! tell me 
my cotemporaries, if this is superstition ? If it is, then 
all our great physicians, chymists, astronomers, and 
naturalists are very despicable, superstitious people, for 
they do nothing else than act thus. But I know very 
well, where the shoe pinches ; the just and logical con- 
sequences which must naturally be deduced from such 
an apparition, constitute the superstition, which is dread- 
ed ; they undeniably prove the duration of our being 
after death, together with the remembrance of the his- 
tory of our earthly life ; and if to this be added equally 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. §19 

true and authentic apparitions, demonstrative proofs are 
soon and easily produced from them, of the immortality 
of the soul, of the certainty of rewards and punishments 
after this life, of more elevated powers of being, of the 
truth of redemption by Christ, in a word, of the real, 
ancient, evangelical Bible-religion, by which the pseudo- 
modern christian, mechanical, and philosophical struc- 
ture, which has been reared by a rationalism worn out by 
luxury and effeminacy, from the wretched stock of ideas 
abstracted from the visible world, is totally thrown down 
and demolished. This is the superstition, which is dread- 
ed. Hence an antichristian spirit has ever been afraid of 
apparitions ; m the beginning, it made use of them as a 
bugbear, or abused them by the most shameful super- 
stitions, and now, having branded them with disgrace, 
it denies them entirely. But nothing of all this shall 
daunt us from searching into, and examining these very 
solemn, serious, and wholly incontestible evidences for 
the truth of the Bible, and the religion which it teaches. 

Doerien, it appears, was a blameless, upright, and 
honest man ;and yet he was not immediately happy after 
death. We will not on any account judge unchari- 
tably of him, he may have soon afterwards entered into 
the state of bliss : but rather examine what led him to 
show himself in this melancholy manner. It is obvious, 
that it arose from small debts, and the retention of some 



320 OK APPARITIONS, &C. 

glass paintings ; but how frequently do such matters re- 
main unregulated, without the departed debtor reappear- 
ing on that account, and urging the settlement of them ? 
There must therefore have been something in Doerien's 
case in addition to this, and I believe I have found it in 
the two unsettled affairs having filled his whole soul in 
the agonies of death ; on which account, probably, he 
sent to his friend Hoefer, that he might request him to 
arrange these matters, but in the interval, expired with 
this desire. The impression of it was therefore so strong, 
that it kept the poor spirit back, in this painful situation, 
at the very entrance, as it were, into the spiritual world. 

Hence we see, how important it is, for the individ- 
ual to set his house in order before he dies ; we ought 
therefore to endeavour to arrange every thing, even tem- 
poral matters, before we leave the world ; and if we have 
been unable to do so, or have neglected it, it ought no 
longer to be regarded of such importance, as to take 
possession of our minds at the most imporant crisis of 
our existence. What we cannot then alter, we should 
commit, with fervent and humble supplications, proceed- 
ing from a submissive heart, to the all-overruling provi- 
dence of God to regulate, and so preserve our moral cha- 
racter for us ; and then lay hold, with firm confidence, 
on redemption through faith in Christ, so that the idea 
of this may fill our whole soul and our whole being ; but 



ON APPARITIONS, &C . 321 

let us beware of tranquillizing and comforting ourselves 
with whatever good we may possibly have done in the 
course of our lives : if our salvation is to be founded 
upon this, we shall then be brought into judgment, and 
our sins placed opposite to these good actions, and then 
the case is dreadful, even as it concerns the best of men. 
Instead of acting thus, we should strip ourselves of every 
thing, and cast ourselves with the feeling and sentiments 
of the prodigal son, into the arms of the crucified Savi- 
our of all men, long after him, with all the powers of 
our souls, and beseech him solely, through free grace, 
to receive us into his kingdom, even as the thief on the 
cross did ; this desire will then enable us rapidly to soar 
aloft from our mortal remains, and then all idea of our 
reappearing is at an end. 

My dear readers will now also understand that para- 
ble of our Lord, which is found in Matthew, xx. 11 — 13, 
where the king came in to view his guests, and found 
one that had not on the wedding garment. This was 
one of those, who thought he had a right to appear in his 
own righteousness, in his wretched and filthy garment, 
at the table where the righteousness of Christ is the wed- 
ding garment, the only valid uniform. 

The departed spirit, of which we are now speaking, 
appeared in such a manner, as to be seen without the 

Y 



322 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

developed organ of presentiment, hence there were seve- 
ral who saw him ; he was either still too much a novice 
in the world of spirits, so that he was ignorant how a 
spirit can come into rapport with a person still living, or 
else he found no one that was capable of it. It appears 
however, that he made attempts at this developement, for 
he acted upon Hoefer, whose physical nature could not 
endure this influence, for his arm swelled, and he no 
more ventured to come near the spirit. Oeder, it is true, 
could bear this influence, better, and he came in some 
measure into connexion with him, but not so that the 
^ spirit could converse with him. 

I beg that it may be here observed, that a spirit, 
thus appearing, cannot hear every one speak, for it is 
destitute of the requisite organs; but where it meets with 
any one, whose faculty of presentiment may be easily de- 
veloped, it acts upon him, by breathing its thoughts into 
the man's mind, which then communicate themselves to 
the inward auricular organs ; so that the hearer believes 
he has heard the voice externally. Hence it is that 
a person may converse with a spirit in the presence of 
others, without their hearing the spirit's voice. All this 
will be sooner or later comprehensible to us, because it 
will then be natural to us. Xor does the spirit hear with 
its ears, what those who are present say ; but it reads it 
in the soul of him, with whom it is in rapport, just as the 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 323 

magnetized somnambulist reads in the soul of his mag- 
netizer. I beg that this may be duly observed, and 
then much that is incomprehensible, will be explicable. 

In Oeder's case it did not come to this, because 
either his physical nature was difficult to be brought into 
rapport, or that the spirit did not yet rightly understand it. 

The creative faculty of departed spirits, is again 
highly remarkable in this instance. When Doerien 
could not make himself understood by words, he formed 
a tobacco-pipe in his mouth, and a magic lantern in his 
hand. These, it is- true, were mere shadowy forms, 
which however he rendered visible by his imagination 
and his will. My dear readers, what shall we not be able 
to doj sooner or later, when in the element of heaven ! — 
O let us therefore give all diligence, that we may be well 
received there. 

Oeder's conduct towards the spirit was harsh : he 
reviled it as being an evil spirit, although he knew it 
was the soul of Doerien, and laid about him when it ap- 
proached him. All this was certainly the consequence 
of his terror : but this again resulted from a deficiency 
in his principles. Had I been in his place, I would have 
said, " My dear friend, thou art under a mistake, trouble 
thyself no longer about any thing earthly, it is not wor- 



324 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

thy of thy attention, let me take care of that, All 
that thou hast still to arrange, we, thy friends, will 
examine into and then settle in such a manner, that 
every one shall be satisfied with thee ; and if there 
be any thing on thy mind, for which we cannot make 
reparation, apply to thy Saviour, who can regulate all 
things ; fix upon him, and upon him alone, all thy de- 
sires ; in him alone thou wilt find rest ! The Lord bless 
thee, and give thee peace !" 

In this manner I should have acted towards the 
spirit, and am persuaded, that, if not at its first appear- 
ance, yet finally, it would have left me in a glorified state, 
instead of becoming darker. When a spirit approaches 
so near as to do an injury to the body, we must avoid it, 
direct our minds to God, and then say to it, in a friendly 
manner, " In the name of Jesus I forbid thee from touch- 
ing me." 

I will now lay before my readers another narrative 
of an apparition, which had also something to adjust, that 
was unsettled in the flesh, and then treat of those de- 
parted souls which are doomed, in the unsearchable judg- 
ments of God, to continue on the borders of this world 
and the next, as a warning example to the living, until 
their eternal destiny be decided. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 325 

The principality of Saxe-Altenburg was divided, 
towards the end of the seventeenth century, into three 
parts, one of which appertains to Gotha, another to Saal- 
feld, and the third, namely Eisenberg, had its own regent, 
whose family however became extinct with Duke Chris- 
tian, in the year 1707, on which, Eisenberg was again 
added to Gotha. 

This Duke Christian had a very remarkable appari- 
tion, not long before his death, which has all the testi- 
monies of historical authenticity in its favor, and was 
preserved in one of the Saxon archives, at least, where 
it may probably still be found. It forms the 10th arti- 
cle in the " Monthly Discourses on the Wor]d of Spirits" 
page 319, published at Leipzig, by Samuel Benjamin 
Walther, in 1730. I will insert it here as I find it in 
the work above mentioned, in the style of those times. 

"About the year 1705, as Christian, Duke of Saxe 
Eisenberg, who died in April, 1707, was reposing upon 
his couch at noon, in his closet, and occupied with a 
variety of spiritual meditations, some one knocked at his 
closet door. Now although the Duke could not com- 
prehend how this could happen, as the guard and the 
other servants were in the antechamber, he however 
called out" Come in ! " on which, a female figure, repre- 
senting Anna, daughter of one of the Electors of Saxony, 



326 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

entered in an ancient princely attire. When the Duke, 
who had raised himself up, and was seized with a slight 
trepidation, asked her what was her pleasure ? she an- 
swered " Be not afraid, I am no evil spirit, no harm shall 
befall thee." On which the Duke no longer felt any ap- 
prehension, and inquired further, who she was ? she gave 
him for answer, " I am one of thy ancestors, and my 
husband was the same that thou art now ; his name was 
John Casimir, Duke of Saxe Cobourg, but we have both 
been dead above a hundred years. " Now when the 
Duke inquired further what she requested of him, she 
expressed herself in the following manner, " I have a 
request to make of thee, in my own name, and in that of 
the Duke my husband, because we were not reconciled 
before our end, in consequence of a quarrel between us ; 
although we both died trusting in the merits of Jesus 
Christ, ; and that is, that thou effect this reconciliation 
between us, at this time, which God has appointed for it. 
With respect to myself, I am already in a state of bles- 
sedness, but I do not yet enjoy the full vision of God, 
but have been hitherto in a state of silent and agreeable 
repose : but the Duke, who would not be reconciled to 
me at my death, though he afterwards repented of it, 
and left the world in real though weak faith in Jesus 
Christ, has continued hitherto, between time and eternity 
in cold and darkness, yet not without hope of salvation." 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 327 

Now when the Duke made many objections against 
this proposition, the spirit refuted them, as inappropriate 
and irrelevant, and said also, that as soon as she entered 
into the eternal world, she ascertained that one of their 
descendants was destined to assist them in bringing about 
a reconciliation, and she was the more rejoiced to find 
that he, the Duke, was the instrument appointed by God 
for this purpose. Finally, the spirit granted the Duke 
a week for reflection, after the lapse of which, she would 
again appear at the same hour and await his decision, on 
which she vanished from his sight. . 

The Duke being on terms of particular intimacy 
with a learned divine, the superintendant Hofkunzen 
who resided at Torgau, fourteen German- miles distant, 
with whom he w r as wont to correspond, by express, on 
spiritual, temporal, and even political matters, immedi- 
ately dispatched a messenger to him, communicating in 
writing all the particulars of the apparition he had seen, 
and desiring his advice and opinion, whether he ought to 
comply with the spirit's request, or not. The matter 
appeared to the divine a little suspicious, at first, and he 
was inclined to regard it as a dream : but after duly con- 
sidering the singular piety of the Prince, his extensive 
knowledge and experience of spiritual things, his tender 
conscience, and at the same time, the circumstance of the 
spirit's shewing itself in broad day-light, when the sun 



328 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

was shining, he made no scruple of returning the follow- 
ing answer to the Duke: that in so far as the spirit should 
not desire of him any superstitious ceremony, or such as 
were contrary to the word of God, and if he, the Duke, 
had sufficient courage for such a transaction, he would 
not advise him against fulfilling the spirit's wishes. Yet 
that he ought to continue in fervent prayer, and in order 
to prevent all deception, cause the passage to his chamber 
and closet to be well watched by his guards and domestics. 

In the mean time, the Duke gave orders for the 
ancient records to be searched, and found that all the 
spirit had said, was according to truth, so that even the 
dress of the deceased princess, and that of the apparition, 
agreed very minutely. Now when the appointed hour 
approached, the Duke laid himself upon his couch, after 
having given strict orders to the guard before his cham- 
ber, not to suffer a single individual to enter : and having 
begun the day with prayer, fasting, and singing, he 
read in the bible, whilst waiting for the spirit, which 
made its appearance exactly at the same hour as the 
week before, and at length, upon the Duke's calling out, 
" Come in !" entered the closet in in its previous costume. 
It immediately asked the Duke, whether he had resolved 
on complying with its wishes ? on which the latter replied 
that he would do so, in God's name, in so far as what 
she desired was not contrary to the word of God, nor 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 329 

accompanied by any thing of a superstitious nature ; she 
need therefore only tell him plainly how he was to act 
in the matter. 

Upon receiving this declaration, the spirit expressed 
itself to the following effect : " During my life time, the 
Duke, my husband, suspected me, though groundlessly, 
of being unfaithful to him, because I frequently conver- 
sed in private with a certain Cavalier, upon religious 
subjects. On this account, he cherished an irreconci- 
lable hatred to me, which was so violent, that though I 
sufficiently proved my innocence, and even entreated a 
reconciliation on my death-bed, yet he would neither 
abandon his hatred and suspicion, nor resolve to come 
to me. Now, having done every thing in my power in 
the matter, althougk I died in true faith in my Saviour, 
and likewise entered into eternal rest and peace, yet I 
do not hitherto enjoy the full vision of God. My husband, 
on the contrary, as mentioned above, repented, it is* 
true, after my death, of his implacability towards me, 
and died at length, also in true faith ; yet he has continued 
until now, between time and eternity, in distress, and 
cold, and darkness. But now the time appointed of 
God is arrived for thee to reconcile us, in this world, 
with each other, and by so doing, aid us in attaining 
perfect felicity." " But what shall I do in the matter, 
or how shall I act in it?" asked the Duke, and received 



330 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

this answer from the spirit : " To-morrow night, hold 
thyself in readiness ; and I and the Duke will come to 
thee ; (for although I come by day, yet my husband 
cannot do so ;) and each of us will state to thee the causes 
of our existing quarrel. Thou shait then give judgment 
which of us is in the right, join our hands together, pro- 
nounce the Lord's blessing upon us, and afterwards unite 
with us in praising God." After the Duke had promised 
to do so, the spirit disappeared. 

The day following, the Duke continued his devotions 
until evening, when he expressly commanded his guard 
to let no one enter the chamber, as also to pay attention, 
if they should hear any one speak. Hereupon he ordered 
two wax tapers to be lighted and placed upon the table, 
and also the bible and hymn book to be brought, and 
thus expected the arrival of the spirits. They made their 
appearance at eleven o'clock : first came the princess, as 
before, as though alive, and again stated to the Duke 
the causes of their quarrel ; then came also the spirit of 
the Prince, in his wonted princely dress, but looking 
very pale and death-like, and gave the Duke quite a 
different account of their disagreement. Upon this the 
Duke gave judgment, that the spirit of the prince was in 
the wrong, to which the latter also assented, and said 
" Thou hast judged right." On this the Duke took the 
cold hand of the prince, laid it in the hand of the prin- 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 331 

cess, which possessed natural warmth, and pronounced 
the blessing of the Lord upon them, to which they both 
said, Amen ! The Duke then began to sing the hymn, 
" We praise thee, O God ! &c." during which, it seemed 
to him, as if both really sang with him. After finishing 
the hymn, the princess said to the Duke, " God will 
reward thee for this, and thou wilt soon be with us." 
On which, they both vanished. The guards had over- 
heard nothing of this conversation, except what the 
Duke said, who, if I mistake not, died a year afterwards, 
and for secret reasons, ordered his body to be buried in 
quick lime." Thus far the narrative. 

This apparition furnishes me with an opportunity 
of making several important remarks. That Duke Chris- 
tian possessed a developed organ of presentiment, is clear 
from the circumstance, that only he saw the spirits, and 
heard them speak. Perhaps it was on account of this 
natural disposition, and also for other reasons, which I 
will afterwards mention, that he was chosen for this 
singular judicial procedure. The appearance of the 
princess in her earthly clothing, and the circumstance of 
her being still deprived of the bliss of the divine presence, 
notwithstanding her state of rest and inward peace, is a 
proof that she was still in Hades, that the quarrel with 
her husband detained her there, and that her imagination 
was not yet freed from every earthly bond. She had 



332 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

also done very wrong in having intimate intercourse 
with the Cavalier above mentioned, however holy and 
edifying his conversation might be ; for as soon as she 
was aware that the Duke was displeased at it, she ought 
to have avoided her friend entirely. Mark, my dear 
readers! this pious princess had to forego the enjoyment 
of real heavenly felicity during a whole century, although 
she died in true faith in Jesus Christ, and had offered 
reconciliation to the Duke, because she had been know- 
ingly the cause of his taking offence. The intimate 
intercourse between persons of different sexes, even 
though it be of a religious nature, is extremely dangerous 
and requires uncommon circumspection. 

When we reflect upon the fate of the Duke John 
Casimir, we must be struck with amazement and awe. 
How dreadful ! to continue for a hundred years together, 
in cold and darkness, inwardly grieving at the supposed 
infidelity of the princess, without any thing to refresh 
the senses in the wide and desert Hades, and God knows 
in what society, or else in none, and consequently alone ! 
He too had died in the faith of Christ, but unreconciled 
with his spouse. It was this faith, that still held the 
anchor of his hope ; it was the magnet, which at length 
drew him upwards. And yet he had repented of his 
implacability before his death ! Mark well this most im- 
portant point. We must be reconciled with every one, 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 333 

before we leave this world ; and if it can be done to-day, 
we must not neglect it a moment. Remember the solemn 
words, •' Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them 
that trespass against us !" 

A soul that cherishes the slightest animosity, and 
takes this feeling with it into eternity, cannot be happy, 
although, in other respects, the individual may have 
been as pious and faithful as possible. Bitterness is 
completely opposed to the nature and constitution of 
heaven. The blood of Christ, who, on the cross, in the 
midst of the most excruciating torments, exercised love 
instead of bitterness, cleanses also from this sin, when 
it flows in our veins. 

But how can a departed spirit feel cold and warmth, 
and be conscious of light and darkness ? 

The spirit that was still attached to his money, and 
sought to induce father and son to remove it from the 
place where it was buried, as related in the first part of 
this section, appeared by day, but emitted fire from his 
finger-ends, and felt torment when angry or disturbed in 
his mind. It is probable that the ethereal hull of the 
spirit, as long as it continues in the lower regions, in the 
atmosphere in or above the earth, partakes of the changes 
and modifications of the materials of light, If the soul 



334 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 



, 



be still under the influence of violent passions, it cannol 
bear the day, without feeling the most dreadful torment, 
because the particles of light are then in their greatest 
operation, and the passions would set the outer frame in 
a flame. Evil spirits, however, are not preserved by- 
night and darkness from this ignition. The souls of the 
blest and righteous, that live in love and meekness, in- 
habit the upper regions, in pure ether, where they are 
no longer affected by heat, or cold, or darkness. They 
live in their eternal element, and enjoy the fulness of 
bliss. 

It was a benefit to the spirit of the Prince, that he 
was exiled into cold and darkness. In the element of 
light, his jealousy would have inflamed and tormented 
him : that evil passion would have increased, and he 
would gradually have become ripe for hell. It is aston- 
ishing how difficult it is, after death, to delivered from 
fixed ideas, and rooted passions. It is here, my dear 
readers, here in this world, that we must mortify them ! 
Only reflect upon the case of this poor Prince, who was 
obliged to wait a hundred years, and was still unable to 
to conquer them ; so that at last an extraordinary means 
was resorted to, to deliver him from them, and assist him 
forwards. 

But it is just these extraordinary means that sets 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 335 

reason at work. Was there then no being in the whole 
spiritual world, that could accomplish this reconciliation 
between the princely pair ? Why, contrary to the natu- 
ral laws of the spiritual world, was a living person of 
the same family selected for that purpose ? I am con- 
vinced that this step was likewise taken, by these two 
spirits, through error and mistake. Every back-road into 
the visible world, from the invisible, is unlawful; and 
when the Lord permits it, he has his sacred reasons for 
it. Tis true the princess says, that on entering eternity, 
she was immediately aware that one of her descendants 
would reconcile them, but this she knew through the 
medium of her organ of presentiment, then entirely de- 
veloped; we can scarcely suppose it was the positive 
will of God, though it might be by his permission, be- 
cause it was the only way that was left, in which these 
poor souls could obtain rest. I will explain myself 
more clearly upon this point ; for by so doing, I shall 
find occasion, warmly and earnestly to impress upon the 
heart of my readers, a most important subject, which as 
far as I am aware has been very little considered. 

Let us suppose a very pious and learned man, who 
fills a public and important office, and consequently 
enjoys respect and influence; or a merchant, whose 
business is extensive, and who is rich ; in short, all per- 
sons in elevated situations, whether noblemen, rulers, 



336 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

or of whatever degree. We will select from these various 
ranks, a true christian, put ourselves in his place, and 
then examine our sentiments towards christians of the 
inferior classes. The idea of a more elevated dignity, 
which we possess, in the character of the former, gradu- 
ally fixes itself in our minds, without our perceiving it, 
it continues dormant, as long as an inferior shews us 
the respect due to our rank ; we also probably shew 
ourselves condescending towards him, and call him bro- 
ther ; but as soon as he opposes us in any way, or is 
in any ^measure deficient in shewing that respect, which 
we believe we have a right to demand of him, the above- 
mentioned feeling is immediately roused, and if we do 
not creep, without delay, to the cross, and there arm 
ourselves with meekness and humility, the spark imme- 
diately ignites in our hearts, love is extinguished, and 
the fire of pride and revenge is kindled, so that we be- 
come insulting, and offer up to hell and its prince an 
acceptable sacrifice. It afterwards requires a long time 
until the heart, which has been searched by this angry 
flame, again becomes susceptible of the mild influences 
from above, and is able to make the germs of charity 
and humility shoot forth anew. If this idea be not to- 
tally eradicated before ;death, and if, fixed in our minds, 
it passes into eternity, the enjoyment of full salvation 
is utterly impossible : for there the order of rank is regu- 
lated by totally different laws ; the superior or inferior 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 337 

share of love and humility, or, in a word, of sanctiflcation, 
determines there the degree of dignity, of office, and of 
honour. There the ruler may meet the meanest of his 
subjects ; the man of rank, his shoe-black ; the mistress, 
her poor waiting maid ; the rich man, the poor tattered 
beggar, whom he had often dismissed from his door with 
a half-penny, in the possession of elevated dignity, and 
clothed with honour. Now if the idea above-mentioned 
still exist in the individual, it then takes fire in the ethe- 
real body, and burns with much greater vehemence. — 
The flame of envy and wrath blazes up : the spirits of 
the blest retire, and the poor spirit flies far off into the 
desolate regions of Hades, in cold and darkness, where if 
the man have died in true faith in Christ, his fire by de- 
grees diminishes, and at length, when the fixed idea is 
annihilated, and the streams of love and humility have 
quenched every part of it, he is elevated to a higher 
sphere. 

As mankind are at present constituted, birth, pros- 
perity, riches, superior abilities, without any reference to 
virtue or piety, determine the difference of rank. This 
order of things is according to the will of God, as far as 
relates to the present state of existence ; and it is highly 
incumbent on every one to respect it, and conduct himself 
in perfect obedience to its laws : he that acts otherwise, 
is deserving of punishment. We have seen, during the 
z 



338 OX APPARITIONS, &C 

French Revolution, what dreadful consequences have re- 
sulted from the abolition and destruction of this order 
of things. It is, therefore, just and right for every one 
to demand that honour, obedience, and respect, which is 
due to his station, and that he be punished who disre- 
gards it ; but this must result solely and sincerely from 
a feeling of duty towards the laws of order, and by no 
means from the idea or the consciousness of our own 
greater worthiness. 

When a prince or a ruler becomes a true Christian* 
governs as such, and renders his country and his people 
happy : he has certainly to expect a much more glorious 
inheritance in the life to come, than any other mortal ; 
for how much has the soul of a prince to struggle with, 
from his youth up ! ' how many dangers to encounter ; 
how many temptations to overcome ; how much to mor- 
tify ! Now if in all this, he be found faithful unto death, 
how great will his felicity be, in the world above ! And 
if we add to this, what Christ pronounced unto him who 
has been faithful in a few things : what will he not grant 
unto him, who has been faithful in many ! Yet, not- 
withstanding all this, his bliss will be much diminished, 
if not entirely withheld, if he passes into the other world 
with the idea of royal extraction, family pride, and noble 
blood. All this must be mortified in this life, and total- 
ly obliterated from the heart. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 339 

I fear, that in this point, both the duke and the 
princess, notwithstanding their piety, were deficient. — 
The idea had become fixed in one or both of them, that 
they must be reconciled by a person of rank out of their 
own family. Inferiors were, in their eyes, not sufficiently 
w r orthy for this purpose, and they had taken with them, 
out of this life, a mistrust of others of their own rank. 
They w r ere therefore, on that account, obliged to wait so 
long ; because it was not easy to find any one in their 
family, that might not be injured by the developement 
of the faculty of presentiment, (and yet Duke Christian 
died a year afterwards,) and who possessed suitable reli- 
gious sentiments for such a purpose. 

But what was the reason, why the good and pious 
Prince Christian ordered his corpse to be buried in quick 
lime ? assuredly, that it might the sooner perish. But 
why so ? probably because he believed, that both spirits 
had availed themselves of their bodies, which were still 
uncorrupted, in order to appear ; this he wished to avoid 
after death : but the good prince had no reason to be ap- 
prehensive on that account. 

I now come to those apparitions of spirits, which 
the inflexible judgment of God has doomed to linger for 
a long period upon the borders of this world and the next, 



340 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

as a warning example to the living, until their eternal 
destiny be decided. 

A pious and intelligent citizen and tradesman in the 
town of , wrote to me a few years ago, with an ac- 
count of a remarkable apparition, which occurred to one 
of his friends ; but not being altogether clear on the sub- 
ject, I will not now insert it. On that occasion, he 
mentioned in his letter, an affair which had happened to 
himself : I afterwards begged him to inform me of the 
particulars of it, and now relate them in his own words. 

"It was on the 24th of February, 1800, that I en- 
gaged myself, as a journeyman, to my dear and never- 
to-be-forgotten master ,in , with whom I spent 

two years and six weeks, previous to my going to Swit- 
zerland, and working at Basle. Having never seen any 
thing of spirits, except some faint traces from my youth 
up, I was not at all afraid, either by day or by night, 
but was fearless at all times, as was also the case whilst 
living with my master, above-mentioned. Now it often 
happened, that I had something to do or fetch from my 
bedroom, late at night, whither I willingly always went 
in the dark, either for myself or my comrades ; and I can 
truly say, that I never saw anything, though I heard 
something ; but knowing no better, nor being willing to 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 341 

know any better, I ascribed the noise, however suspicious 
it might seem, to cats, or rats, or mice. About five 
weeks passed over in this manner, when coming down, 
upon one occasion from my bedchamber, into the room, 
without having taken a candle, the servant-woman, whom 

we had, began to smile, and said, * L is not afraid, 

but let him once go up boldly to the loft, and I warrant 
it will be otherwise with him, if our Sackbearer meets 
him, or begins to make a noise.' This speech astonished 
me, but I said nothing ; however, I now saw clearly why 
they were so much afraid of going up to the loft, for no 
one ventured alone but myself, and without a light, was 
out of the question. I was, therefore, soon aware that 
it was supposed the loft was haunted. 

" This excited my curiosity to see something of the 
ghost, or to hear something positive of its proceedings ; 
so that I listened every night, until I should obtain some 
certainty in the matter. The Easter holy days were now 
approaching ; and I inferred, beforehand, that something- 
might occur in them, and so it really happened : for as 
I went one night into the bedroom, with my comrade, a 
noise began to be heard above it on the floor, (our room 
being up three pair, and this floor, up four pair of stairs, 
and consequently in the very place where the noises had 
been heard,) at first, very gently, from the lower end of 
the room ; just as when a person, quite faint and weary, 



342 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

totters about in old slippers, and seeks to tread securely 
in the dark. Meanwhile, all the three journeymen were 
in bed, and my bedfellow had slipped- so far down under 
the coverlet, that nothing of him was to be seen ; I list- 
ened however with great attention, and scarcely breathed 
audibly. Now when this tottering motion had proceeded 
from the lower end of the loft, until it came immediately 
over our bedplace, there was on a sudden, such a dread- 
ful fall, that our bedstead and the windows shook. It 
was just such a fall as when some one, with a ponderous 
burden, had let a heavy sack fall upon the vacant floor. 
Meanwhile, the tottering steps continued for some time, 
before all was quiet again. My bedfellow, who was still 
under the coverlet, now jogged me, and said, in a very 
low tone, ' You understand now, why we mentioned the 
Sackbearer to you V i Yes ! answered I, aloud, but I will 
see him too, before I believe it.' ' Hush ! replied he, be 
still, or else you will bring us all into some misfortune.' 
I laughed, and was just on the point of stepping out of 
bed, and going up stairs, but he held me, and begged me 
by all means to be quiet and stay with him. This I did 
unwillingly, but resolved, when all were asleep, if the 
noise were repeated, to investigate the matter further.— 
At length we all fell asleep. 

" The next morning, we told our master what had 
happened in the night, and what I had resolved to do. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 343 

He heard it without astonishment, and said with an em- 
phasis peculiar to him, * I will explain the matter to 
you. The disturbances, which you have heard last night, 
are nothing new in this house, and were the reason why 
my grandfather, many years ago, was enabled to purchase 

it at a cheap rate. He was from M in H , and 

came hither during the time of his journeying. This 
house at that time stood empty, and its owner, a man of 
property, had removed from it on this account, and had 
thoughts of selling it to the first bidder. My grandfather, 
a pious and courageous man, took advantage of this cir- 
cumstance, and went to buy it. The proprietor imme- 
diately gave him the keys, that he might view the pre- 
mises, but did not accompany him to see the house; and 
disposed of it to him at a very low price, at the same time 
informing him, why the house was in such bad repute, 
and what had been said of it by his predecessors, name- 
ly, that three hundred years ago it had been a monas- 
tery of Capuchins, one of whom continues to haunt the 
house to this hour, and disturbs people at night, parti- 
cularly upon the fourth floor. The reason of this, no one 
had ever been able to ascertain ; but that he might still 
perceive in the house the traces of a former monastery, 
as also in the adjoining buildings ; for instance, monas- 
tic paintings, choirs, aisles, former cell-doors, &c. &c. ; 
and if he would look behind the stove in the centre sit- 
ting-room, he would find the year 1550, in which the 



344 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

room must first have been made out of a cell ; (all this 
still remains, said my master, as you yourself may see,) 
but this did not hinder my grandfather from buying it. 
Now we have heard from him, that a noise and a simi- 
lar downfall has been heard in the house ; but it was not 
at that time so frequent nor so alarming ; nor had he, or 
his family ever seen any thing ; and the name of Sack- 
bearer had been given to the disturber even at that time. 
During this state of things, my grandfather died, and 
my late father succeeded him in the possession of the 
house ; the noise then became somewhat louder. 

" ' About this time, a baker of the name of , 



occupied the lower floor. As this man was standing, one 
morning before day-break, near his oven, and had just 
put his bread into it, he heard a gentle footstep along 
the narrow passage, that leads from the great stone cel- 
lar staircase into the house -part, where the baking oven 
is placed, which announced to him the near approach of 
some living being ; and in reality, after a short pause, 
he saw a long-bearded elderly capuchin, with a cowl and 
rather dirty nightcap, coming towards him. But instead 
of staying to hear what his business might be, he was so 
terrified, that he ran into his room, locked and barred 
every thing, and left his bread in the oven, which, as he 
did not come out before broad daylight, was all burnt. 
This was the first time that he had been seen in the 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 345 

house. Our landlord, the weaver, who lives upon this 
floor, saw him also afterwards, in the same form, just as 
he was stealing up the ascent from the third to the fourth 
floor ; and it is on account of the frequent nightly dis- 
turbances, that the journeyman weavers no longer lay 
upstairs near your bedroom, but prefer sleeping in their 
workshop, however unhealthy it may be ; and that room 
stands empty to this day. 

" ' This, said my good master, is what I am able to 
tell you of the matter.' It was enough for me at the 
time, for I knew that he was not in the habit of shooting 
in the dark, and that if he had not been sure of the mat- 
ter, he would have preferred saying nothing about it. 
I therefore said, that I should be glad to see this capu- 
chin also. * Ah, said they all, be not too bold! but be 
warned by us.' I was nevertheless very impatient till 
I should again have an opportunity of listening to the 
noise : however it was not heard every night, but only 
irregularly. 

" At length, towards Midsummer, the late brother of 
my dear master, who was a stuff manufacturer, and re- 
sided on the floor below our bedroom, was taken ill, and 
the worse he grew, the more violent was the noise made 
by the spirit in the loft above ; so that I passed many a 
sleepless hour in listening to its supernatural motions, 



346 OH APPARITIONS, &C. 

sounds, and falls. We told our master of this, who took 
it this time more to heart, because he could not compre- 
hend the reason, especially when my comrade, who com- 
plained of his health being injured, wanted to leave him. 
I encouraged the latter as much as I could, and he did, 
in fact, remain till the following Christmas. But the 

illness of the dear departed , increased, and in faith 

in the crucified Jesus, he drew near his happy end, and 
entered into the joy of his Lord. I was present at his 
decease, and shall never forget the impressions I then 
received. I assisted in carrying his corpse into another 
chamber, three rooms distant, where it laid until the 
third day, when it was withdrawn from our view, and 
sown in hope of a glorious resurrection. In the evening, 
after having set up for several nights before, I went 
with my comrades to bed, but I shudder when I think 
of what then occurred, and the manner in which the spi- 
rit made itself heard ; fof scarcely had we laid ourselves 
down, before it again began to totter along from behind, 
with slow and toilsome steps : my two comrades again 
crept under the bed-clothes, but this time it availed no- 
thing, for all heard what now took place ; for immediately 
afterwards, it fell down with such an awful and horrible 
crash, that made every thing shake again. I listened to 
it attentively, and noticed, that for a few moments, there 
was a death-like silence ; after which, I heard such a 
piercing and hollow groan, as made me shudder. It 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 347 

would be in vain to describe it ; for I venture to affirm, 
that no human being, nor any creature could send forth 
such a lamentable, melancholy, and appalling sound; 
after this, it was as if some one who had suffered a 
grievous fall, endeavoured gradually to gather himself 
up again, and yet was never able to get upon his feet, 
but ever on the point of rising up, broke down under the 
burden, and after a short pause, again lay enfeebled on 
the spot ; for now it began to get up, and then to slip 
down again, and to utter, mean while, the most dreadful 
groans. In short, it was scarely possible for any one to 
bear to hear it, and the same thing occurred the next 
night. 

" Do not imagine, my dear Sir, that this could have 
been occasioned by wicked men ; for as I have said be- 
fore, it was impossible for any one to do it, and not an 
individual in the house would have gone up to the loft, 
if the whole house had been given him for so doing, nor 
could any person enter from without. After the funeral 
of our departed friend, we told our master what had oc- 
curred during the past nights. This pained him exceed- 
ingly, he related the whole matter to the late — — ,* 

* Both these well-known, learned, and pious divines are my 
true friends, for I know that the former continues to be so, in 
his state of bliss, and the latter is still living and enjoys the di- 
vine blessing on his labours. 



348 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

member of the Consistory, as also to , chaplain to 

the court, and referred particularly to the last mentioned 
disturbances ; but they only entered so far into the mat- 
ter, as to come to the conclusion, - That as his departed 
brother had experienced such a happy transition into the 
mansions above, it must have been very painful to this 
unhappy spirit, to be obliged to linger here below in such 
a manner ; that his sighs and groans seem to confirm this, 
and likewise the extraordinary disturbance on the occa- 
sion of his brother's dissolution, but as it did not let it- 
self be seen as well as heard, it was inferred that its de- 
liverance was still remote.' This opinion was partly 
satisfactory, and partly distressing to my dear master; 
because in this way, he could not hope for any immediate 
termination of the disturbance. 

" I frequently endeavoured, after this, to persuade 
him to keep watch, during the silence of the night, in 
the loft, to see if the spirit would not show itself. This 
was at length carried into effect. My master, the weaver 
I have before mentioned, and myself, sat there frequently 
till after midnight; but though none of us breathed au- 
dibly, and were as silent as possible, yet it was still more 
silent in the loft ; and I believe that if we had sat there 
till this moment, the result would have been the same. 
It was also resolved between my worthy master, my timid 
but pious comrade, and myself, to meet there in the 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 349 

evening, for mutual prayer, in order to supplicate the di- 
vine aid in this matter. The effect of this was, that 
although we never saw any thing, we were subsequently 
less disturbed. However, I must notice one circum- 
stance with regard to our watching, that when my atten- 
tion and expectation, particularly towards midnight, had 
been excited to the utmost, so that I was really vexed 
that it was all in vain, I was the more surprised, after 
coming down stairs, betwixt one and two o'clock, to hear 
the noise again : and I must say, that though I was con- 
vinced on all sides, that a departed spirit was the cause 
of these disturbances, yet by frequent watching, and go- 
ing up to the loft, I was only the more daring, and I 
now resolved, more firmly than ever, to observe and 
listen to it quite alone. One night, as we were undress- 
ing ourselves, one of my comrades sighed and said, ' O, 
if the night were only past !' I said very coolly, * Hush, 
when I am there, he does not stir a step :' but scarcely 
were the words out of my mouth, when three dreadful 
falls ensued, and the usual disturbances were continued 
for a long time afterwards. My comrade said, * Hear 

me, L , thou wilt yet cause us all some misfortune ; 

do be quiet !' I complied, for I felt that I had acted too 
thoughtlessly. Another time, on awakening after mid- 
night with the noises, I listened attentively to the spirit's 
motions, sighs, &c. when suddenly, it seemed as though 
the creeping noise gradually approached my chamber door, 



350 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

and I also really heard the lock move. I therefore rose 
very gently from bed, fully expecting to get a sight of it, 
and ran to the door, opened it quickly, and immediately 
looked out into the passage, but I saw and heard nothing ; 
however, as soon as I was again in my room, the noise 
in the upper floor recommenced, and observing that all 
about me were asleep, the time seemed suitable for exe- 
cuting, the intention I had so long cherished ; it was half- 
past two o'clock. The unnatural hollow falls and noise 
continued ; I dressed myself a little, as silently as pos- 
sible, and whilst listening to the disturbance, considered 
what I should ask the spirit, and say to it, in the event 
of getting a sight of it. Having thus studied my part, 
I went to the door again, and through the dark passage 
that leads to the upper staircase, which I ascended so 
silently, that not even a mouse could have heard me. 
In going along, I continued to hear the hollow fails and 
the disturbance in the loft, and therefore hoped that I 
should this time succeed. On feeling the last three steps 
before me, I bent forward, and placing one foot on the 
uppermost, with a single spring I reached the loft, with 
my face in the direction where the disturbance took plaee. 
There I stood, but good God, how awful, how T silent ! 
Never was I conscious of a silence more profound. I 
looked hastily around, and observed, that in the left 
corner of the loft, a grey shadow of about four feet and 
a half his:h, lost itself behind the chimnev, in a bundle 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 351 

of twigs. I ran immediately to the place, tore asunder 
the twigs, but it was in vain ; I neither saw nor heard 
any thing. I stood there a little longer ; but I must 
confess a feeling of horror came over me: I was con- 
scious that I had here to do with spirits : what I had 
studied availed nothing ; I had also taken the precaution 
to arm myself, but I might as well have left them in my 
bed-room ; for if the mercy of God had not watched over 
me, my temerity might have cost me dear. 

" I might have communicated to you many other 
occurrences, which have happened in this house : but as 
they are all of a similar nature, I think you will pardon 
me, if I don ot take up any more of your time with them, 
I should be glad to have the honour and the pleasure of 
hearing your sentiments and impressions on the subject. 
I have also subsequently inquired how the matter stood ; 
and am informed that it is still continued, although the 
noise is not so violent, as at the beginning of the present 
century, and at the dissolution of the above-mentioned 
departed friend. 

" And now, dear and honored Sir, I have to request, 
that although I can attest the truth of the above state- 
ment, you will not include my name, or the names of 
those I have mentioned in it, in any extracts you may 



352 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

make from it, having more than one sufficient reason 
for not wishing them to be made public." 

Such is the account given by this dear, intelligent, 
and pious friend. 

I subsequently wrote to a confidential friend, who 
resides at the place, where these disturbances take place ; 
this individual is a Doctor of Medicine, a learned and 
particularly pious man ; and I begged him to inquire, 
what had further transpired relative to the haunted house. 
He went therefore, to a clergyman, still living, whom 
the owner of the house had previously consulted, as be- 
fore mentioned, made enquiry respecting the real state 
of the case, and learned, that the spirit is still heard, and 
predicts to the inhabitants of the house, events, which 
are about to occur. I am sorry that I have not learned 
more regarding this latter circumstance ; but if I should 
again visit the town, where the terriffic apparition is 
heard, I will go myself to the house, inquire minutely 
into every circumstance, and then communicate this as 
well as any thing else, which I may have learned or dis- 
covered, to my readers, as an appendix to this work. 

The courage and resolution with which my friend, 
then a journeyman, proceeded in his investigation, are 
astonishing. As a pious person, and one who had ex- 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 353 

perienced the pardoning grace of God, whose intentions 
were just and good, he had nothing to fear, except then, 
when he tore the bundle of vine twigs asunder, and thus, 
probably, grasped with his hands, the spirit's atmosphe- 
ric body. This might have occasioned ulcerous and 
dangerous swellings ; but the spirit of the capuchin does 
not appear to me to be a malicious,, but rather a deplo- 
rable and deeply afflicted being, that may, perhaps, still 
have the hope of salvation ; consequently its atmospheric 
body is not inflamed and pestilential. But it may also 
be the case, that when under the appearance of a gray 
shadow, it lost itself in the twigs, forsook its body, and 
returned to its element. 

I wish that my friend, at the moment when he 
sprang up the three steps into the loft, had seriously 
placed himself in the presence of God, and addressed the 
spirit in the following manner : — " I beseech thee, thou 
deeply suffering soul ! in the name of thy Redeemer and 
mine, Jesus Christ, to tell me what is thy wish, and why 
thou thus troublest this house ?" If it had replied to 
this, opportunity would have been presented to go fur- 
ther, and perhaps to have assisted him in obtaining rest ; 
but if he had returned no answer, there would have been 
nothing lost by it. If all apparitions and haunted pla- 
ces were investigated with such a heart devoted to God, 
and with so much courage, it would be 'found, that 
2a 



354 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

amongst a hundred, perhaps ninety -nine were deceptions 
and delusions. 

Mysterious and awful is the conduct of this spirit : 
it is a fact, which has been long and generally acknow- 
ledged, that spirits in a state of misery, frequently haunt 
the spot, where, during their life-time, they haye carried 
on their revels, and in unsubstantial forms, often imitate 
them after death, seeking in them, but in vain, an alle- 
viation of their sufferings ; they pant after the enjoy- 
ments of sense, but are destitute of the organs for that 
purpose; for the images they form have nothing real 
or satisfying in them. To this class of spirits, w r hose 
damnation seems inevitable, the spirit of the Capuchin 
Monk does not belong ; he does not carry his heavy 
sack, in order to amuse himself with it, or to repeat his 
former pleasures, but rather that he may thus make those 
about him aware of his dreadful sufferings, and will pro- 
bably continue to do so, until he finds some one, on 
whose faculty of presentiment he can operate, and thus 
converse with him. His actions are therefore loud com- 
plaints of his unutterable woe. 

As it appears from the latest intelligence, communi- 
cated above, that he can now make himself understood, 
and is able to converse with the people, I wish, on this 
very account, to hear further particulars regarding his 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 355 

present state ; it might, perhaps, be possible to show 
him how he might obtain rest. 

The pantomime he acts, is that of a man carrying, 
with difficulty, a heavy sack of corn, and then either 
throwing the sack down, because its weight becomes in- 
tolerable, or falling down with it himself. Hence he has 
been called " The Sackbearer." The reason why he 
acts this part, may be explained in two ways : it is pos- 
sible, that formerly, in his life-time, he may have been 
guilty of defrauding in grain, and that he now seeks to 
acknowledge this sin to the living, aud give them to un- 
derstand that they should pray for him; he perhaps also 
continues to remind them of his state, until he find some 
one, upon whom he can work, to whom he can approach, 
and be able to state by what means he expects to be de- 
livered. But it is also possible, that by his thus car- 
rying, with so much difficulty, this insupportable load, 
he only seeks to make his dreadful sufferings known. 
Thus, the greater his sufferings and torments are, the 
heavier are the falls of the sack, and the more weary his 
steps. I therefore perfectly agree with the opinion of 
the clergyman, that the happy death of the pious stuff- 
manufacturer, must have deeply grieved the poor spirit. 
It must have pained it to see, that the soul of the former 
was, immediately after death, conducted by angels to 
the felicity of heaven, whilst it had been obliged to en- 



356 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

dure eternal torments for centuries. But there is also 
one thing more which I would notice, and that is, the 
spirit was a monk, and it is well known, that those who 
belong to their orders, have an established maxim, that 
no one out of the pale of the Romish Church can be 
saved : it must therefore have pained him exceedingly to 
see an evangelical Lutheran, a heretic ! at once received 
up into glory ; for during his solitary confinement in this 
quondam monastery, he had probably had no opportu- 
nity of divesting himself of this inhuman and malignant 
prejudice. 

It is remarkable, that the spirit made himself visi- 
ble twice in his monkish dress ; he was perhaps in hopes 
of being able to speak with the baker or weaver ; he 
therefore assumed his customary habit, and made him- 
self visible. But why did he not show himself to the 
journeyman, who would so gladly have seen and spoken 
with him ? I answer, because he was afraid of this cou- 
rageous and pious man. The latter might also not pos- 
sess the predisposition requisite to enable the spirit to 
work upon him, and develop his faculty of presentiment. 

It is incomprehensible why these kind of solemn, 
appalling, and obvious testimonies to the continuance of 
our existence after death, make so little impression upon 
us. People fear them, as children do a bugbear, and 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 357 

there the matter rests. Instead of reflecting upon them, 
drawing important conclusions from them, and forming 
the resolution to amend their lives, they relate these 
ghost-stories as tales of amusement, and feast the imagi- 
nation on the torments of their departed fellow creatures. 
The great and the learned in the world have eyes to see, 
and yet will not see, and anathematize those as unen- 
lightened, that do see, and endeavour to make them ap- 
pear ridiculous and contemptible. The Lord pardon 
them ! 

Before I go further, I must notice another singular 
circumstance, and express my sentiments upon it. — 
Many authentic apparitions have been related to me, in 
which spirits have been unable to rest, nay, some even 
for centuries together, because their bones, the remains 
of their mortal frame, were not properly interred or 
brought into the churchyard. And this is the case, not 
only with us christians, because we regard the church- 
yard or burying ground as something sacred ; but there 
are instances, even amongst the heathens, of reappearing 
spirits entreating a regular burial, and complaining, that 
they could not rest until this was done. Pliny relates an 
instance of this, in one of his letters ; in which he says, 
that a house in Athens had become notorious, on account 
of its being haunted : that a philosopher questioned the 
spirit, and was told by it, that it could not rest, until its 



358 ON APPARITIONS, &C 

remains were regularly interred, describing, at the same 
time, the place where they laid. After its request had 
beeu fulfilled, the house became quiet. 

All demands of this nature, which are made by 
spirits, originate in mistaken notions ; they are ideas, 
which have been fixed in them at their departing hour, 
and which, after death, torment them like furies. Per- 
sons who die in their carnally-minded state, still cleave 
with great affection to their bodies; and if they take 
with them, I would almost say the superstitious idea, 
that any thing depends upon a funeral solemnity, or the 
place where the body corrupts, they certainly will be 
unable to rest, until their wish is fulfilled. But even 
this very fulfilment hinders their further advancement, 
because their mistake has not been removed, but rather 
confirmed. In this case, the demands of such a spirit 
must not be complied with, but it must be set right, 
particularly by being told, that the bodies of the most 
eminent saints have been burned, and their ashes scatter- 
ed to every wind, or have been devoured by wild beasts, 
and disgraced and mutilated in various ways ; and that 
all this does not diminish their felicity in the least; that 
it ought rather to be solicitous to find rest at the true 
source, and trouble itself no more about the miserable 
earthly clod. 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 359 

Here I cannot refrain from giving a hint of some 
importance. To a regenerate and sanctified christian it 
may be a matter of indifference what is done with his 
earthly remains ; but how few there are of this descrip- 
tion ! But let us only consider what a carnally-minded 
un sanctified soul must suffer after death, if the indivi- 
dual have been executed, by being hung, or broken upon 
the wheel, or have come to a shameful end in any other 
manner ! or when the bodies of poor people, are taken 
to the dissecting room, and there mutilated in various 
ways ; and how many depart this life with feelings of 
poignant grief, because they know that their bodies will 
be afterwards given for dissection ! I am well aware, 
that the poor creatures err in this matter ; but charity at 
least ought to induce us, regularly to inter the bodies of 
malefactors, according to the Mosaic law, and this ought 
reasonably to be done after dissection. Sometimes it is 
the case ; but still skeletons are prepared and parts pre- 
served, which are either made use of in the course of 
instruction or for public exhibition. 

The most important, most remarkable, and most 
mysterious apparition of all, I have reserved to the last, 
and with it I will conclude the present work. I refer to 
the well known apparition of the White Lady, as she is 
called. 



360 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 



It is a matter of almost universal notoriety, that a 
female figure rather tall, and clothed in white, has been 
seen in several castles, for instance in the castles of Neu- 
huas in Bohemia, Berlin, Bayreuth, Darmstadt, and here 
also in the castle at Carlsruhe ; she wears a veil, through 
which her face can just he distinguished ; she generally 
appears in the night, not long before the death of one of 
the reigning family, although many of them die, without 
the spirit's appearing. She sometimes also foreshows, 
by her appearing, the death of those who belong to the 
court, but not to the reigning family. 

Merian relates, in the fifth volume of his " Theatre 
of Europe," that she was frequently seen at the castle 
in Berlin, in the years 1652 and 1653 ; but what entire- 
ly confirms me in the belief of this apparition, are the 
two following testimonies. 

It is an ancient tradition, that the White Lady has 
been seen by different individuals, in the castle of Carls- 
ruhe, and the fact is also believed by intelligent people; 
but the two following instances of her appearing, decide 
the matter. An illustrious lady went one evening at 
dusk, to walk in the garden of the castle, accompanied 
by her husband. Without the remotest thought of the 
White Lady, she suddenly saw her, very plainly, stand- 
ing near her on the path, so that she could very distinct- 



OX APPARITIONS, &C. 361 

ly perceive her whole figure. She was terrified, and 
sprang to the other side of her husband, on which the 
White Lad) vanished. This distinguished individual, 
told me, that his lady turned deadly pale with the frig*it, 
and her pulse beat violently. Soon afterwards, some 
one died, belonging to the lady's family. 

I have the second proof of it from a pious and very 
learned man, who fills a respectable office at the Court, 
and who is a valuable friend of mine. Every one that 
knows him will testify, that with .him there is not the 
smallest idea of deceit, delusion, or falsehood. This 
gentleman was passing, one evening late, through one 
of the lobbies of the castle, without thinking on any thing 
of the kind, when the White Lady came towards him. 
At first, lie believed it was one of the ladies of the court, 
that wished to terrify him ; he therefore hastened up to 
the figure, in order to lay hold of it, but he then per- 
ceived that it was the White Lady, for she vanished before 
his eyes. He observed her particularly ; he could even 
remark the folds in her veil, and through it, her coun- 
tenance, whilst from within her, a faint light appeared 
to glimmer. 

She was also wont to be seen about the time of the 
three principal church festivals. She generally appears in 
the night, but is likewise frequently seen in the open day. 



362 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 



It was at the castle of Neuhaus in Bohemia, about 
three hundred and fifty years ago, where she was first 
seen, and that very often. She was frequently observed 
locking out at noon day, from a window at the top of an 
uninhabited turret of the castle. She was entirely white ; 
had on her head a white widow's veil, with white ribbons, 
was tall of stature, and of modest deportment. She was, 
of course, during her life-time, of the Roman Catholic 
Religion ; for three hundred and fifty years ago, no other, 
was known. There are only two instances of her having 
spoken. A certain illustrious princess was standing in 
her dressing-room before the looking-glass, with one of 
her maids of honour, in order to try on some article of 
dress ; and on asking the lady in waiting, what time it 
was, the White Lady on a sudden stepped forth from 
behind a screen, and said, "It is ten o'clock, my dears!" 
The princess was dreadfully alarmed, as may easily be 
supposed. A few weeks afterwards, she fell ill and 
died. 

In December of the year 1628, She appeared also 
in Berlin, and was there heard to say the following words 
in Latin : " Veni, judica vivos et mortuos : judicium 
mihi adijuc superest !" that is, " Come, judge the 
living and the dead ; my fate is not yet decided !" 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 363 

From the many and various apparitions of this spirit, 
I will only select another, which is particularly remark- 
able. 

At Neuhaus, in Bohemia, there is an old institution, 
which provides that on Holy Thursday, a mess of sweet 
pottage should be given to the poor, in the court-yard 
of the castle ; this mess consisted of some kind of pul- 
pous fruit, with honey, after which, every one had as 
much small beer to drink as he desired, and besides 
this, received seven Pretzel. Many thousand poor peo- 
ple often assembled on this day, and were all feasted in 
this manner. When the Swedes, in the thirty years 
war, had subdued the town and the castle* and neglect- 
ed the distribution of this meal to the poor, the White 
Lady began to be so violent, and to cause such a dis- 
turbance, that the inhabitants of the castle could no 
longer endure it. The guard was dispersed, beaten, 
and thrown to the ground by a secret power. The cen- 
tinels were frequently met by strange figures and mere 
visages, and the officers themselves were dragged, by 
night, out of their beds, along the floor. Now when 
no means could be devised to remedy this evil, one of 
the towns-people told the Commander-in-chief, that 
the poor had been deprived of their yearly feas^, and 
advised him to let it be immediately prepared, according 



364 OX APPARITIONS, &C. 



to the custom of their predecessors. This was done ; 
the disturbance instantaneously ceased, and nothing 
more was observed. 

It is certain, that the White Lady is not yet in a 
state of blessedness ; for in that case, she would no 
longer wander about amongst us. She is still less in a 
state of condemnation ; for irf her countenance, nothing 
but modesty, decorum, and piety is manifested ; and 
she has often been seen to be angry, and assume a threat- 
ning aspect, when any one has made use of blasphemous 
or indecorous language against God and religion, so 
that she has even used violence towards them. 

But now let us inquire who this remarkable and 
mysterious being is. She has been taken for a certain 
Countess of Orlamunda; but I find in the " Monthly 
Discourses on the World of Spirits," from which I have 
extracted the above account, a remarkable key to this 
affair: the celebrated and learned Jesuit, Baldinus, gave 
himself the trouble to ascertain, with certainty, the truth 
of the matter, the result of" which is the following very 
probable history of the White Lady. 

" In the ancient castle of Neuhaus, in Bohemia, 
amongst the pictures of the ancient and celebrated family 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 365 

of Rosenberg, there was found a portrait, which bears an 
exact resemblance to the White Lady. She is clothed, 
after the fashion of those times, in a w r hite habit ; and was 
called Perchta Von Rosenberg. The history of this 
lady's life is briefly as follows. She was born between 
1420 and 1430; her father is said to have been Ulrich 
the second, Yon Rosenberg, and her mother, Catherine 
of Wartenberg, who died in 1436. This Ulrich was 
Lieutenant-governor in Bohemia, and, at the instance of 
the Pope, Commander-in-chief of the Roman Catholic 
troops against the Hussites. 

" His daughter Perchta, or rather Bertha, was mar- 
ried in the year 1449, to John Von Lichtenstein, a rich 
Baronet, in Steyermark. But as her husband led a very 
vicious and profligate life, Bertha was very unhappy. 
Her marriage proved a constant source of grief to her, 
and she was obliged to seek relief from her relatives. 
Hence it was, that she could never forget the insults and 
indescribable distress she had endured, and thus left 
the world, under the influence of this bitter passion. 
At length, this unhappy marriage was dissolved by the 
death of her husband, and she removed to her brother 
Henry IV. The latter began to reign in the year 1451, 
and died without heirs in 1457. 

Lady Bertha lived at Neuhaus, and built the castle 



366 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

there, which occupied several years in building, to the 
great grievance of the town's-people. Lady JSertha, 
however, spoke kindly to her vassals, and consoled them 
with the speedy termination of the work, and the due 
payment of their services. Amongst other things, she 
generally called out to the workmen, ' Work for your 
masters, ye faithful subjects! work! when the castle is 
finished, you, and all your families shall be feasted with 
sweet porridge,' for so our forefathers expressed them- 
selves, when they invited any one to be their guest. 

" Now, in Autumn, when the building was finished, 
Lady Bertha kept her word, by treating all her subjects 
with an excellent repast, and said to them during din-, 
ner, ' In consequence of your loyalty to your liege' lord, 
you shall every year, have such a feast as this ; and thus 
the praise of your good conduct shall flourish in after 
ages.' 

" The Lords of Rosenberg and Slavata, found it af- 
terwards more appropriate to transfer this beneficent and 
charitable feast to the day of the Institution of the Lord's 
Supper, on which day it is still continued. 

" I do not find at what time Lady Bertha Yon Ro- 
senberg died ; but it was probably towards the end of 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 367 

the fifteenth century. Her portrait is to be met with in 
several Bohemian castles, in a white widow's dress, 
which exactly corresponds with the appearance of the 
"White Lady. She is most frequently seen at Haumlau, 
Neuhaus, Trzebon, Islubocka, Bechin, and Tretzen, 
which are all Bohemian castles, inhabited by her descend- 
ants, and as individuals of her family married into the 
houses of Brandenburg, Baden, and Darmstadt ; she is 
also in the habit of visiting them, and wherever she 
comes, her object is to announce an approaching death, 
perhaps also to warn against some misfortune, for she 
often appears likewise, without any one dying." 

My ideas respecting this mysterious being, are as 
follows : — The circumstance of Lady Bertha dying unre- 
conciled, and with bitter animosity against her husband, 
is probably the chief reason of her melancholy wander- 
ings on the earth, and of her being still at such a dis- 
tance from the enjoyment of heavenly felicity. Could 
she open the springs of love within her, her state would 
soon be ameliorated, for her other qualities, particularly 
her beneficence, induce me to hope, that she will even- 
tually find favour. From this benevolent disposition, 
her apparitions proceed ; for as soon as she observes, 
through the medium of her organ of presentiment,' 
which in her present state is completely developed, that 



368 ON APPARITIONS, &C. 

any one of her family will shortly die, she appears solely 
with the intention, that such persons may be brought to 
reflection and prepare for death ; and as no one knows to 
whom it has reference, all ought therefore to be induced 
by it to salutary consideration. 

The White Lady does not seem, to experience suf- 
fering or torment, for all the testimonies concur in this, 
that she is tranquil and cheerful, but still not in a state 
of bliss ; a condition, which however tolerable in other 
respects, is certainly not desirable. She has apparently 
laid aside the Romish religion, because she is so amicably 
inclined towards Protestant families. Her benevolent 
disposition, however, is exercised erroneously ; for all re- 
tro-action upon the living, is contrary to the divine order ; 
and the words which the mouth of truth has spoken, u If 
they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they 
believe though one rose from the dead," continue irrever- 
sible. Seldom or ever is any one converted by an appa- 
rition; the result is generally a mere panic; but what 
appears to me incomprehensible, is, that all the undeni- 
able facts of such appearances, of which the number is so 
considerable, have not even been able to produce the firm 
conviction or certainty of the immortality of the soul. 

I know instances of professed Freethinkers and 



ON APPARITIONS, &C. 369 

Materialists having positively seen spirits, so that they 
were convinced it was the soul of one of their deceased 
acquaintances, and yet they continued to doubt of their 
own immortality and self-consciousness. My God, what 
incredulity ! 

I could relate many more authentic tales of appa- 
ritions, but the above may suffice ; as they are sufficient 
to prove what it was intended they should. My sole 
object is to bring the real truth to light, so far as it re- 
gards our eternal destiny ; and by so doing, win souls for 
God. — Amen !* 



* See Note 12. 
2b 



370 



CHAP. V. 



ERIEF SUMMARY OF MY THEORY OF PNEUMAT0L0GY* 
AND INFERENCES FROM IT. 



1. The whole creation consists solely of essential 
realized ideas of the Deity, or pronounced words of God, 

I call these ideas original existences. No being, except ^ 
God, knows them all, and none is acquainted with their 
true, real, and peculiar nature. 

2. Amongst the infinite number of these original 
existences, there are various classes, which are fully 
conscious of themselves, form ideas of other original 
existences, and possess reason and freewill : to these 
belong spirits, angels, and men. 

3. We mortals are totally unacquainted with the 
mental powers, that is, the faculty of imagination, 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 371 



thought, and judgment, and the will of other classes of/ 
rational beings, and only partially so with our own. 



4. In our present natural state, we cannot attain 
to any knowledge of created things, in any other way, J\ 
than through the medium of our five organs of sense, 

5. If any change be made in our organs of sense, 
or their inward arrangement be altered, our ideas of 
things, and with them, our knowledge becomes different ; 
for instance, if our eye were otherwise formed, all colours, 
forms, figures, dimensions, and distances would also be 
different ; and the same is the case with all the five senses. 

6. Beings that are differently organized to our- 
selves, form an entirely different idea of our world, to^ . 
what we do. Hence it follows, incontestibly, that the 
ideas we form of the creation, and all the science, and 
knowledge resulting from them, depend entirely upon 
our organization. 

7. God views every tiling as it is in itself, and in 
reality, out of time and space. For if he viewed things 
in space, and as no space can be conceived as really ex- 
isting, unless limited : the views which God takes, would 
therefore also be limited, which is impossible; conse- 



\1X 



372 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

quently no space exists out of us in nature, but our ideas 
of it arise solely from our organization. 

8. If God viewed objects in succession and rota- 
tion, he would exist in time, and thus again be limited. 
Now as this is impossible, time is therefore also a mode 
of thinking peculiar to finite capacities, and not any 
thins true or real. But we mortals neither can nor ought 
to think otherwise than in time and space. 

9. Animal Magnetism undeniably proves, that we 
have an inward man, a soul, which is constituted of the 
divine spark, the immortal spirit, possessing reason and 
will, and of a luminous body, which is inseparable from 
it. 

10. Light, electric, magnetic, galvanic matter, and 
ether, appear to be all one and tae same body, under 
different modifications. This light or ether, is the ele- 
ment which connects soul and body, and the spiritual 
and material world together. 

11. When the inward man,"" the human soul, for- 
sakes the inward sphere, where the senses operate, and 
merely continues the vital functions, the body falls into 
an entranced state, or a profound sleep, during which, 



J^ 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 373 

the soul acts much more freely, powerfully, and actively, 
all its faculties are elevated. "T~ 

12. The more the soul is divested of the body, the 
more extensive, free, and powerful is its inward sphere 
of operation. It has therefore no need whatever of the -. 
body, in order to live and exist : the latter is rather a^ 
hindrance to it; it is exiled into its dull and gloomy 
prison, because it is its medium of communication with 
the visible world, of which it has need in its present 
state, in order to its ennoblement and perfection* 

13. The whole of these propositions are sure and 
certain inferences, which I have drawn from experiments 
in animal magnetism. These most important experi- 
ments undeniably shew, that the soul does not require 
the organs of sense, in order to be able to see, hear, 
smell, taste, and feel, in a much more perfect state ; but 
with this great difference, that in such a state, it stands 
in much nearer connexion with the spiritual than the 
material world. 

14. The soul, in this state, has no perception 
whatever of the visible world ; but if it be brought into 
reciprocal connexion (rapport) with some one, who is in 
his natural state, and acts through the medium of his 
corporeal senses, for instance, when the latter lays hi? 



374 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

hand on the pit of the heart of the former, it becomes 
conscious of the visible world through him, and in him 
is sensible of it. 

15. Y> 7 hen the soul is in this exalted state, it cer- 
tainly exists in time, because it cannot do otherwise than 
think in succession : all finite spirits are in this situation, 
so that they only reflect upon, and form an idea of one 
thing at a time, but they do not live in space. 

16. Space is merely the operation of the material 
organs of sense; out of them it has no existence; there- 
fore, as soon as the soul forsakes the latter, all proximity 
and distance ceases. Hence, if it stand in rapport with 
a person who is many thousand miles distant from it, 
it can impart knowledge, by an inward communication, 
and receive it from such an one, and all this as rapidly, 
as thoughts follow each other. 

17. This operation of one human being upon 
another, would occasion dreadful confusion in the pre- 
sent state of existence, if the doors of this mystery were 
easy to be unfolded. But the Most Merciful has ren- 
dered this not easily possible. The continual increase 
of knowledge in every department, joined with an in- 
creasing falling away from Christ and his most holy 
religion, will however eventually occasion these barriers 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 375 

to be burst, and the Holy of Holies to be plundered ; but 
then the measure of iniquity will be full. Woe unto him 
that publishes to the world things so sacred ! 

18. When the soul is separated from the body, it 
is wherever it thinks to be ; for as space is only its mode 
of thinking, but does not exist except in its idea, it is 
always at the place, which it represents to itself, if it 
may be there. 

19. Time being also, in fact, a mere mode of 
thinking, and not existing in reality, the departed soul 
may be susceptible of future things, but only in so far as 
the laws of the spiritual world permit. 

20. By magnetism, nervous disorders, long con- 
tinued efforts of the soul, and by other secret means, a 
person who has a natural predisposition for it, may, in 
the present life, detach his soul, in a greater or less de- 
gree from its corporeal organization; and in proportion 
as this takes place, it comes into contact (rapport) with 
the world of spirits. I call that, by which it becomes 
susceptible of the objects of the latter, its faculty or or- 
gan of presentiment, and its detachment from the most 
refined part of the nervous system, its developement. 

21. It is a divine and irreversible law, that man- 



376 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

kind, in the present state, should be guided with respect 
to temporal and sensible things, by just and rational in- 
ferences, the result of a sound understanding ; but with 
respect to those things which are above sense, by the 
Word of God, and in both together, by divine Providence. 

22. For as time and space are only modes of 
thinking suited to the present state, but by which we 
are unable to comprehend original existences as they 
really are : it is impossible that rational inferences, 
though mathematically just, can serve to guide us into 
the truths of the invisible world, when their premises 
are founded on modes of thinking adapted to the visible 
world. Hence arise nothing but horrid contradictions 
and pernicious errors ; aud this is just the case with the 
rationalism of the present day, in reference to spiritual 
things, 

23. If it be therefore a divine law, that mankind 
in the present state should be guided in temporal things 
by reason, and in those which are spiritual and divine, 
solely by the Holy Scriptures, and in both by Provi- 
dence, and if we ought not to know any thing of the fu- 
ture, except what God of his free favour reveals to us, 
without our own endeavours ; it is undeniably a heinous 
sin, when any one seeks to develop the faculty of pre- 
sentiment, in order to learn things future or remote, or 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 377 

by connexion with the spiritual world, to become ac- 
quainted with hidden mysteries. 

24. If a person obtains a developed organ of pre- 
sentiment, entirely without his own wishing or seeking 
it, either through illness or any other not sinful cause, 
he is in a dangerous state ; for it is amazingly difficult, 
and requires a high degree of divine light, to avoid the 
abuse of a thing so extremely attractive. 

25 . When a far advanced and enlightened christian 
falls into this state, he attaches no value to it; on the 
contrary, he humbles himself before his God, and fer- 
vently implores wisdom and protection against the abuse 
of it. If he then comes into situations, where he thinks 
he may be of some service, he employs this disease of 
the soul for that purpose, in the fear of God. See the 
examples of Mrs. W. and M. Cazotte, in the chapter on 
presentiments. 

26. When an unconverted, worldly-minded man 
developes his faculty of presentiment, he falls into danger 
of idolatry and sorcery. Preachers and physicians ought 
therefore to instruct the ignorant upon this important 
point. 

27. There is also another weighty reason, why the 



378 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

development of the faculty of presentiment is dangerous ; 
for by it spirits have opportunity of influencing the indi- 
vidual, presenting all kinds of images to his mind, and 
insinuating thoughts into it. Now, as the whole atmos- 
phere is full of evil spirits, and only such as are partially 
good, the former being on the alert to deceive men, un- 
der the guise of angels of light, and the latter in error 
themselves: and as the soul, whilst in its fleshly prison, 
has not the gift of trying the spirits, the man may be 
dreadfully misled ; and here is the very source of much 
fanaticism, heresy, and of many abominable errors. 

28. Real presentiments, that is, when Providence 
causes a man to be warned of some impending misfor- 
tune by the ministry of angels, ought to be well distin- 
guished from a developed organ of presentiment. The 
former has always '^ome suitable object in view, the lat- 
ter generally none at all. 

29. The case is the same with the gift of prophecy, 
which must also be clearly distinguished from the deve- 
loped faculty of presentiment. The former has always 
some sublime end in view for the good of mankind, whilst 
the latter often prognosticates funerals, and things of no 
importance. 



^U 



30. The boundless ether, that fills the space of 



BKIEF SUMMARY. 379 

our solar system, is the element of spirits, in which they 
live and move. The atmosphere that surrounds our 
earth, down to its centre, and particularly the night, is 
the abode of fallen angels, and of such human souls as 
die in an unconverted state. The Bible calls the whole 
of this space, Scheol and Hades, that is the receptacle 
of the dead. 

31. Previous to the dawning of the Lord's king- 
dom, the air shall be purified from all evil spirits, and 
they shall be cast into the mighty abyss, which is in the 
centre of the earth. 

32. When a man dies, the soul gradually divests 
itself of the body, and awakes in Hades ; it is no longer 
conscious of the visible world ; the world of spirits ap- 
pears to it as an interminable glimmering space, in which 
it can move itself with the rapidity of thought ; and as 
its organ of presentiment is now fully developed, it like- 
wise sees the spirits that are in Hades. 

33. Souls and spirits communicate their thoughts 
to each other through the medium of the will ; when one 
soul wishes another to know any particular thing, the 
latter immediately knows it ; the one reads it in the in- 
terior of the other, even as the somnambulist reads in 
the soul of him, with whom he stands in rapport. 



380 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

34. " Where your treasure is, there your heart is 
also." Souls that are not yet dead to the world, remain 
below, in the regions of darkness ; and if they have 
served fleshly lusts, their abode is wdth their bodies in 
the grave. 

35. The souls of all such, as have only led a 
decent civil life, and who, though not vicious, are 
still no true christians, must undergo a long purification 
in the waste and desert Hades, by enduring the depri- 
vation of all that is dear to them, and of every enjoyment, 
whilst longing, most painfully, after that earthly life, 
which has for ever fled ; and thus be gradually prepared 
for the lowest degree of bliss. 

38. The souls of the wicked on departing from the 
body, are surrounded by evil spirits, that torment them 
in various ways, the more wicked they have been, the 
deeper they sink into the bottomless pit. Their suffer- 
ings are dreadful. 

37« The souls of true christians, that have trodden 
the path of s an ctifi cation, and who expired in the exer- 
cise of true faith in Jesus Christ, in the grace of his 
atonement, and in complete renunciation of every thing 
earthly, are received, immediately on aw r aking from the 
sleep of death, by angels, and without delay, conducted 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 381 

upwards to the pure regions of light, where they enjoy 
the fulness of bliss. 

38. Departed souls have a creative power, which 
during the present state, and in this rude and material 
world, can only be exercised with trouble and expense, 
and in a very imperfect manner ; but after death, the 
will of the soul is really able to produce that, which the 
imagination conceives. 

39. Those souls, which are not yet dead to the 
world, and whose imagination is still occupied with the 
favourite ideas of their former life, seek to realize these 
ideas ; but after all, they are mere atmospheric forms, 
which are unable to afford any enjoyment ; the soul is 
also as little capable of enjoying ; it has no longer any 
of the organs of sense. Hence the notorious haunting 
of old buildings, where these wretched spirits seek to 
renew their former revels. 

40. There is no foundation in the nature and laws 
of the spiritual world for the doctrine of transmigration. 
A soul may pass centuries in Hades before it advance 
any further, but it never returns into a human body. 
The spiritual world has sufficient means of purification : 
there is no need there of a return to a life of sense, 



382 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

41. When the soul departs out of this life with an 
unsatisfied desire, it experiences painful sufferings, 
although it might be otherwise capable of heavenly feli- 
city. To be delivered from these sufferings, it often 
longs for some one still alive, who may fulfil its desire, 
and employs the means, which are known to it, to gain 
its end : hence the apparition of spirits. 

42. Every one ought therefore to divest himself 
betimes, and the sooner the better, of all attachment to 
earthly tilings ; and should any tiling occur to him in his 

sj departing hour, that ought still to be done or arranged, 
and which it is no longer possible to do, let him commit 
the affair to Him, who can make good every thing, and 
continue in this confidence even after death ; for his re- 
turn and reappearing is contrary to the divine order. 
There may, however, be exceptions to this rule ; and it 
is an indispensable duty for those to whom a spirit ap- 
pears, to treat and inform it better, with seriousness and 
charity. 

43. We can learn nothing from spirits that are-V 
still in Hades, for they know nothing more than we do, 
except that they see further into futurity ; but this we 
ought not to know. Besides this, they may err, and 
wilfully deceive. We ought therefore, by all means, to 
seek to avoid intercourse with them. Spirits in a state \ 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 385 

of perfect bliss, or such as are really damned, never ap- 
pear. 

44. Every man has one or more guardian spirits** 
about him : these are good angels, and perhaps also the 
departed souls of pious men. Children are attended 
solely by good spirits ; but as the individual gradually 
inclines to evil, evil spirits approach him, The good, 
however, do not forsake him on this account, until they 
see that he is hardened in sin, and become entirely re- 
probate : they then depart from him, and leave him to 
his awful fate. 

45. As the individual turns from evil to good, the*** 
good spirits draw near to him with great delight; and 
the more he increases in faith and sanctification, the 
more active and beneficial do they become. 'Good spi-y 
rits have power over evil spirits ; but the will of man is 
free; if it incline to evil, the good cannot help him. 
We ought not to seek intercourse with guardian spirits, 
for we are no where referred to them. 

46. The sleep of the soul, or that state in which 
the soul is supposed to rest in unconscionsness and in- 
activity, from death till the resurrection at the last day, 
has no foundation in scripture, but merely in the erro- 
neous idea, that the soul necessarily requires its body in 



384 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

order to act; but as magnetic experiments, and the ap- 
paritions of spirits incontestibly prove the contrary, the 
sleep of the soul is an error, and entirely out of the 
question. 

47. It is an evident and manifest truth, that the 
soul, when delivered from the body, acts more powerfully, 
and freely, and that its powers are much superior, than 
whilst imprisoned in tbe body. Why then has the Creator 

j exiled it into this limited and lamentable state ? 

48. The answer is easy ; because it has fallen from 
that perfect state, in which it was created. In paradise, 
man stood connected with both the spiritual and the 
material world, and was sensible of objects in both. He 
ate of the fruit of the tree of life in the spiritual world, 
and ought to have avoided the tree of temptation in the 
visible world, but he sought to unite them both together. 
If eternal love had not ejected him from paradise, and 
excluded him from connexion with the world of spirits, 
he would have become a devil. Excuse this mystic in- 
terpretation : it detracts nothing from the truth of the 
relation. 

49. The soul is in a state of restraint in its cloth- 
ing of skins, its cumbersome body, which it must sus- 
tain with much trouble, and because of which, it has 



BRIEF SUMMARY. S&5 

much to suffer. Instead of being able to satisfy its hun- 
ger after knowledge and happiness, the organization of 
its body deceives it with imperfect ideas, and transitory 
enjoyments, which only make its hunger the more insa- 
tiable. 

jO. Here the door to the great mystery of redemp- 
tion by Christ is unfolded. The soul would not have 
been saved, even in this state. It might have been less 
injured in the world of spirits ; but this did not satisfy 
eternal love, which destines it to be redeemed and blest, 
and made more happy than it would have been, had it 
never fallen ; if it will now but follow and be obedient 
to the counsel of God. 

51. The LOGOS, the Word of God, by whom the 
eternal, hidden, and almighty One manifested himself 
in an endless numerical progression and succession, that 
is, in time, became man ; and by his sufferings, death, 
and resurrection, made his flesh and blood a leaven, by 
which, every soul that feeds upon it in true faith, is re- 
novated, and after being delivered from its earthly prison, 
is translated into the regained heavenly element, until, 
after the resurrection, it puts on its original glory, and 
is placed in a paradise, in comparison with which, the 
iirst was a mere shadow. 

2c 



386 BRIEF SUMMARY. 

52. From all that has been said, it is clear, that 
Materialism, with its metaphysical illumination, is a 
mere, but very dangerous creature of the brain, a bound- 
less and bottomless deception. Superior illumination 
in the sciences and in the knowledge of nature, in so far 
as it alleviates our earthly thraldom, and has influence 
upon our progress to perfection, is laudable and useful ; 
but with respect to that which is supernatural, and con- 
cerns our return to our eternal home, we require the 
superior revealed light of the Word of God, and the 
enlightening of the Holy Spirit. Furnished with this 
enlightened reason, that lunar orb in the darkness of 
this life, may then point out the right path. 

53. Real bliss commences first at the resurrection, 
when the glorified body, fashioned after the likeness of 
Christ, shall be again united to the soul ; and the com- 
plete man will then be organized, both for the glorified 
visible world, and also for the world of spirits. 

54. Paradise is that part of Hades, which is ap- 
pointed for the preparation and abode of souls in a state 
of grace. It forms part of the third heaven. (2 Cor. xii. 
2 — 4.) Now Christ said to the thief, " To-day shalt thou 
be with me in paradise/' (Luke xxiii. 43.) but Christ 
was in Hades, between his death and resurrection, (1. 



BRIEF SUMMARY. 387 

Peter, iii, 19.) and according to John, (xx. 17.) he had 
not ascended to his Father, immediately after his resur- 
rection. He had therefore been in Hades, in paradise, 
where the vision of God is still wanting. 

55. Real damnation commences first at the resur- 
rection : the resurrection-germ of the body of sin will 
then be united with the soul, and the whole man be 
banished into the bottomless pit, with all the evil spirits, 
the centre of which is the lake that burneth with fire and 
brimstone, and which is in the centre of the body of the 
earth, The Lord, the merciful, who is everlasting love, 
preserve every reader of this book from this dreadful fate ! 
Amen. 



NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR. 



Note 1, — The Bible, from beginning to end, asserts the operation 
of supernatural influence upon mankind, and the connection that 
subsists between the visible and the invisible world. As evidences 
of this, it relates a variety of instances, in which beings from 
the world of spirits have outwardly shewn themselves to man, and 
held converse with him. Even Jehovah himself, in the second 
person of the Godhead, frequently condescended to manifest him- 
self in this manner, previous to assuming our nature, and becoming, 
in the person of Jesus Christ, like unto us. 

In both the Old Testament and the New, angels, in the execu- 
tion of their errands of judgment or of mercy, frequently made 
themselves visible. But because, as our author repeatedly re_ 
marks, the re-appearance of departed spirits is contrary to the 
divine order, there are only two instances of the latter in the Old 
Testament; both which are, however, very striking: the one is 
that of the prophet Samuel, of which copious notice is taken at 
page 207 of this work : the other is the very remarkable apparition 
recorded in the book of Job, chap. iv. verse 12 — 17, which, as it 
may not be familiar to every reader, we here insert : 

"Now a word was addressed to me in secret; and mine ear 
received a little thereof. 

2 D 



390 NOTES, 

" In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep 
falleth on men, 

"Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones 
to shake* 

" Then a spirit passed before my face: the hair of my flesh 
stood up : 

"It stood, still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an 
mage was before mine eyes; there was silence; and I heard a 
voice, saying, 

" Shall mortal man be more just than God'; shall a man be more 
pure than his Maker? " 

In the New Testament, we find that Moses and Elias appeared 
on the mount of transfiguration: but it may be objected, that 
Moses as well as Elias was probably already clothed with this 
glorified body, as were also the saints that rose from the dead at 
the resurrection of the Saviour, and appeared unto many. (Matt, 
xxvii. 52, 53.) But although this body be less spiritual than 
that of the soul, yet it is also naturally invisible to man, and its 
manifestation consequently belongs to the order of apparitions 
from the spiritual world; which we are persuaded was also the 
case with the body of our Lord after its resurrection; for it pos- 
sessed the peculiar properties of spirit, in becoming invisible at 
pleasure, and entering when the doors were shut. This is also 
confirmed by the recital, which is given us of his appearing to 
Saul, on the way to Damascus; for those that were with him, 
though they heard the voice, yet they saw no man. (Acts ix. 7.) 

In the Old Testament, there is also pointed allusion made to an 
inferior class of spirits called " familiars," and to the forbidden 
intercourse which some held with them (see Deut. xviii. 10 — 
12; Isaiah viii. 19.) We do not however find any account ite ftite 



NOTES. 391 

Bible of their personally appearing, nor of the fallen angels being- 
permitted to shew themselves, unless we suppose that Satan 
assumed a visible shape, when he tempted our Lord in the wil- 
derness, which is however doubtful : and even taking it for granted, 
we mast still conclude that he concealed himself under some 
specious form, and endeavoured to disguise himself to the utmost, 
for our Lord only addresses him in his real character, when at the 
last he tempted him to fall down and worship him. 

Those who profess to have seen evil spirits, affirm that in their 
natural shape they present a monstrous appearance, which occa- 
sionally bears a resemblance to some species of the brute creation, 
Nor is the idea at all irrational; for having, by their wickedness, 
lost the image of God, they have also lost all affinity to man, in 
so far as he is still assimilated to the divine image. It is likewise 
worthy of notice, that the Scriptures speak of Satan under the 
appellation of the old serpent, the great red dragon, &c. 



Note 2. — Plutarch, in his works, has preserved a most remark = 
able vision of the world of spirits, which may tend, in some 
measure, to illustrate the ideas which the ancient Greeks formed 
of it. It is as follows : — - 

"Thespesios of Soli lived, at first, very prodigally and pro- 
fligately; but afterwards, when he had spent all his property, 
necessity induced him to have recourse to the basest methods for 
a subsistence. There was nothing*, however vile, which he 
abstained from, if it only brought him in money ; and thus he 
again amassed a considerable sum, but fell at the same time into* 
^he* worst repute for his villany. That which contributed the 



392 NOTES. 

most to this, was a prediction of the god Amphilochus : for having 
applied to this deity to know whether he would spend the rest of 
his life in a better manner, he received for answer, « that he would 
never mend till he died/ And so it really happened, in a certain 
sense ; for not long afterwards, he fell down from an eminence 
upon his neck, and though he received no wound, yet he died in 
consequence of the fall. But three days afterwards, when he 
was about to be interred, he received strength, and came to him- 
self. A wonderful change now took place in his conduct, for 
the Cilicians know no one who at that time was more consci- 
entious in business, devout towards God, terrible to his foes, or 
faithful to his friends : so that those who associated with him, 
wished to learn the cause of this change ; justly supposing that 
such an alteration of conduct, from the greatest baseness to 
sentiments so noble, could not have come of itself. And so it 
really was, as he himself related to Protogenus, and other judi- 
cious friends. 

" When his rational soul left the body, he felt like a pilot hurled 
out of his vessel into the depths of the sea. He then raised 
himself up, and his whole being seemed on a sudden to breathe, 
and to look about it on every side, as if the soul had been all 
eye. He saw nothing of the previous objects ; but beheld the 
enormous stars at an immense distance from each other, endowed 
with admirable radiance, and uttering wonderful sounds ; whilst 
his soul glided gently and easily along, borne by a stream of light, 
in every direction. In his narrative, he passed over what he 
saw besides, and merely said, that he perceived the souls of those 
that were just departed, rising up from the earth : they formed a 
luminous kind of bubble, and when this burst, the soul placidly 
came forth, glorious, and in human form. The souls, however, 






NOTES. 393 

had not all the same motion : some soared upwards with won- 
derful ease, and instantaneously ascended to the heights above : 
others whirled about like spindles ; sometimes rising upwards, 
and sometimes sinking downwards, having a mixed and disturbed 
motion. He was unacquainted with the most of them, but re- 
cognized two or three of his relatives. He drew near to them, 
and wished to speak with them, but they did not hear him, for 
they were not wholly themselves, but in a state of insensibility, 
and avoiding every touch : they turned round, first alone in a 
circle, then as they met with others in a similar condition, they 
moved about with them in all directions, emitting indistinct , 
tones, like rejoicing mixed with lamentation. Others, again, 
appeared in the heights above, shining brilliantly, and affection- 
ately uniting with each other, but fleeing the restless souls 
above described. In this place he also saw the soul of another 
of his relatives, but not very perceptibly, for it had died whilst 
a child. Th% latter, however, approaching him, said, « Welcome, 
Thespesios V On his answering that his name was not Thes- 
pesios, but Aridaios, it replied, ' It is true, thou didst formerly 
bear that name, but henceforth thou art called Thespesios. Thou 
art, however, not yet dead, but by a particular providence of the ' 
gods, art come hither in thy rational spirit ; but thou hast left 
the other soul behind, as an anchor, in the body. At present, and 
in future, be it a sign by which thou mayest distinguish thyself 
from those that are really dead, that the souls of the deceased no 
longer cast a shadow, and are able to looF stedfastly at the light 
above, without being dazzled.' On this, the soul in question 
conducted Thespesios through all parts of the other world, and 
explained to him the mysterious dealings and government of 
Divine Justice ; why many are punished in this life, whilst 



others are not ; and showed him also every species of punish- 
ment to which the wicked are subject hereafter. He viewed 
every thing with holy awe; and after having- beheld all this as a 
spectator, he was at length seized with dreadful horror, when on 
the point of departing ; for a female form, of wondrous size and 
appearance, laid hold of him, just as he was going to hasten away, 
and said, * Come hither, in order that thou mayest the better 
remember every thing !' And with that she drew forth a burning 
rod, such as the painters use, when another hindered her, and 
delivered him ; whilst he, as if suddenly impelled forwards by a 
violent gale of wind, sank back at once into his body, and came 
to life again at the place of interment." 



Note 3. — The narrative related above, gives us an example of 
a voluntary detachment of the soul from the body ; but the in- 
stance we are now about to subjoin, is one of an involuntary 
detachment, and therefore the more surprising. 

The late Rev. Jos. Wilkins, dissenting minister at Weymouth, 
dreamed in the early part of his life, a very remarkable dream, 
which he carefully preserved in writing as follows : — " One 
night, soon after I was in bed, I fell asleep, and dreamed I was 
going to London. I thought it would not be much out of my 
way to go through Gloucestershire, and call upon my friends 
there. Accordingly I set out, but remembered nothing that hap- 
pened by the way, till I came to my father's house, where I went 
to the front door, and tried to open it, but found it fast. I then 
went to the back door, which I opened, and went in; but finding 
all the familv were in bed, I went across the rooms only, went up 



NOTES* 395 

stairs, and entered the chamber where my father and mother were 
in bed. As I went by that side of the bed in which my father 
lay, I found him asleep, or thought he was so ; then I went to 
the other side, and just turned the foot of the bed. I found my 
mother awake, to whom I said these words, f Mother, I am going 
a long journey, and I am come to bid you good-bye/ Upon 
which she answered me in a fright, ' O dear son, thou art dead!* 
With this I awoke, and took no notice of it, more than a common 
dream, only it appeared to me very perfect, as some dreams will. 
But in a few days after, as soon as a letter could reach me, I re- 
ceived one by post from my father, upon the receipt of which I 
was a little surprised, and concluded something extraordinary must 
have happened, as it was but a little before I had a letter from 
my friends, and all were well. Upon opening it, I was more 
surprised still, for my father addressed me as though I was dead, 
desiring me, if alive, or whosoever's hands the letter might fall 
into, to write immediately ; but if the letter should find me 
living, they concluded I should not live long, and gave this as 
the reason of their fears: — That on such a night, naming it, 
after they were in bed, my father asleep, and my mother awake, 
she heard some one try to open the front-door; but finding it fast, 
he went to the back-door, which he opened, came in, and came 
directly through the rooms up stairs, and she perfectly kneiv it to 
be my step, I came to her bed-side, and spoke to her these words, 
' Mother, I am going a long journey, and am come to bid you 
good-bye;' upon which she answered me in a fright, f O dear 
son, thou art dead!' which were the very words and circum- 
stances of my dream ; but she heard nothing more, and saw no. 
thing ; neither did I in my dream, as it was quite dark. Upon 
this she awoke my father, and told him what had passed ; but 



396 NOTES, 

he endeavoured to appease her, by persuading her it was only a 
dream : she insisted it was no dream, for that she was as per- 
fectly awake as ever she was, and had not the least inclination to 
sleep since she had been in bed. From these circumstances, I . 
am apt to think it was the very same instant when my dream 
happened, though the distance between us was a hundred miles ; 
but of this I cannot speak positively. This occurred whilst I 
was at the academy at Ottery, Devon, in the year 1754, and at this 
distance of time, every circumstance is still fresh upon my mind. 
I have since had frequent opportunities of talking over the affair 
with my mother, and the whole was as fresh upon her mind as it 
was upon mine. I have often thought that her sensations as to 
this matter were stronger than mine. What some may think 
strange, I cannot remember that any thing remarkable happened 
hereupon. This is only a plain, simple narrative of a matter of 
fact." 

Mr. Wilkins died the 15th November, 1800, in the 70th year 
of his age. 

This very remarkable incident may be accounted for on the 
principles laid down by our author, by supposing a natural pre- 
disposition in the individual to this detachment of the soul, 
assisted perhaps at the time, by accidental physical causes, and 
that he lay down to sleep full of the idea of a journey to Lon- 
don, and the intention of calling at his father's house on the 
way. Hence, when the detachment took place, he immediately 
found himself at his father's house, and naturally tried to gain 
admittance at the front and back-door \ but had he been conscious 
of his state at the time, it would only have required the wish in 
his mind to be in his parent's bed-chamber, and he would have 
immediately found himself there. There is, however, another cir- 



NOTES. 397 

cumstance, which according to all material laws, appears unac- 
countable ; and that is, that his mother should have heard and 
recognized his step, as he passed along the rooms to her chamber: 
for though we may have some idea how spirit can act upon ma- 
terial substances, yet it seems to require a collision of the latter, 
in order to produce the noise naturally occasioned by their strik- 
ing together, which appears impossible for an immaterial body 
acting upon material substances alone to produce ; and yet the 
contrary was the fact in this case, and the solution must be 
sought for in those amazing powers of the will and imagination, 
which in our present state are so restrained and limited, but 
which, in a disembodied state are at full liberty, and much more 
powerful and elevated. The individual, supposing himself awake, 
acted as if he had been so -, and this idea alone was sufficient to 
enable him to appear in his natural shape and customary apparel, 
and in short to produce the effects described. This subject will 
be found more fully developed'by our author in the subsequent 
pages of his work. It leads however to the inference, that in 
connected and striking dreams, there may be occasionally more 
reality than the individual himself is aware of. In those that 
walk in their sleep, the natural predisposition to the detachment 
of the soul is wanting, and hence the whole body is set in 
motion. 

Stilling, in one of his later publications, (Pocket Book for the 
Friends of Religion, 1814,) relates a similar incident, which was 
communicated to him in a letter from Baron Von Suiza, chamber- 
lain to the King of Sweden, dated Soderkoping, 4th Dec. 1812. 
The Baron writes as follows : 

" I had been paying a visit to one of my neighbours, on the 
24th June, 1799, and returned home about midnight, at which 



398 NOTES. 

time it is so light in Sweden, in the summer season, that one can 
read the smallest print. On arriving at our estate of Dienstdorp, 
mv father met me before the gate of the court-yard, in his cus- 
tomary clothes, with a stick in his hand, which my brother had 
ornamented with carved work. It was very light, and I saw 
every thing clearly : I was not afraid, for I really believed it was 
my father. I saluted him, and conversed a long time with him. 
We then went together into the house, and upon the level floor, 
into the room ; on entering which I saw my father, quite un- 
dressed, lying in bed, in a profound sleep, and the apparition 
had disappeared. He soon awoke, and regarded me with an in- 
quiring look. ' My dear Edwrrd/ said he, ' God be thanked 
that I see you again, for I was much troubled on your account in 
a dream ; for it seemed to me that you had fallen into the water, 
and were in danger of drowning/ I was greatly astonished at 
finding my father asleep in bed, and regarded the apparition as a 
forerunner of his approaching death; but he lived three years 
after this event. I now told him what had happened to me, that 
he had appeared to me, and that I had spoken with him on se- 
veral subjects ; on which he replied, that this had often occurred to 
him. It is also remarkable, that having gone to the river the same 
day, with the friend whom I was visiting, in order to catch crabs, 
I was really in danger of falling into the stream. 

" I testify, upon my soul, that all this is truth ; and if you 
publish this account, let it be done in my name j for I am not 
ashamed of confessing the truth. I know of many occurrences 
connected with the world of spirits, which are so certainly 
proved that they cannot be doubted of; and if it will give you 
pleasure, I will relate them to you. We will leave free-thinkers 
to laugh, and the superstitious to be terrified j but we know that 



NOTES. 399 

it is very useful to the inquirer after truth, and to the true Chris- 
tian, to become more intimately acquainted with the world of 
spirits* Informer times people believed too much, but at pre- 
sent, in this dreadful age, every thing that bears the name of 
faith is extinguished, &c." 

" If any one should suppose," continues Stilling, " that Baron 
Yon Suiza is a follower of Swedenborg, I can assure him that he 
is not : he belongs to no sect or party, and is nothing more than 
a pious and orthodox Lutheran. 

" This Swedish narrative belongs to that class which proves that 
the inward man, the soul, which consists of a rational spirit, and 
an ethereal covering, with which it is closely united, can leave 
the body for a short time, in certain individuals whose organiza- 
tion is disposed for it, and then return to it again. I have been 
railed at, ridiculed, and calumniated on account of the remarkable 
American tale related in my theory; and yet it is all true, and 
founded in the nature of man. I could adduce a multitude of 
incontestible proofs. It is one of the most remarkable pheno- 
mena of the present age, that not only rationalists, believers in 
natural religion, and free-thinkers, but also occasionally orthodox 
Christians, oppose with all their might the narrating of such 
occurrences ; they will not even have them spoken of, and on 
no account made public. I here ask, solemnly, boldly, and 
courageously, in the presence of God — Why not? If the Lord 
permits any thing of an uncommon and remarkable nature to 
present itself to our senses, are we not at liberty to inquire what 
the Governor of nature intends by it? When stones fall from 
heaven, or when any novelty is discerned in the three kingdoms 
of nature, or in the sky, or, generally speaking, in the material 
world, with what ardour and with what efforts do naturalists 



400 NOTES. 

labour to come to the bottom of it, and to make new discoveries— 
and that justly ! But as soon as apparitions from the supersen- 
sible or spiritual world are spoken of, every one is up in arms 
against it : they will neither hear, see, nor refute ; but only rail 
and ridicule. What may be the true cause of this incomprehensible 
conduct ? They say, it is in order to prevent superstition from 
spreading ! But is that superstition, when I see, or sensibly feel 
something that is uncommon, or that is opposed to my rational 
system, and I am then convinced and believe it? It is then 
superstition, when I abuse such appearances, and apply them to 
something, to which they do not belong. 

" The true reason, with reference to the professors of the fashion- 
able philosophy of the day, is the conviction that their whole system 
is false, if apparitions of spirits really occur; and when orthodox 
Christians combat it, the reason is, because it is opposed to the arti- 
cles of faith to which they have subscribed. But ought articles of 
faith to contradict the truth 1 

" It is remarkable, that even a celebrated heathen quotes an 
instance of one whose soul left the body for a season, and was 
able to return to it again. A very dear and learned friend wrote 
to me on the 2nd June, 1812, as follows : — 

11 ' Before I receive another letter from you, I note'down for you 
the following passage relative to the existence of the soul out of 
the body, from Plin. Hist. Nat. vii. 53, by which it is to be 
observed, that this Pliny the elder was attached to the Epicurean 
opinion of the dissolution of the soul at death, and consequently 
was very impartial in this case. He says, 'We find amongst others 
an instance, that the soul of Hermotimus of Clazomene was wont 
to forsake its body, and wander about, and by means of its wan- 
derings bring intelligence of many things at a distance, which 



NOTES. 401 

none could know but such as were present at them, during which 
his body lay half dead ; until his enemies (who were called 
Cantharites) burnt it, and thus cut off the retreat of the returning 
soul.— ' So far Pliny/ 

" What Paul relates in 2 Cor. xii. 2, with reference to his being 
caught up into the third heaven, is also remarkable in this re- 
spect; in so doing, he makes use of the words, * Whether in the 
body or out of the body, I cannot tell ; God knoweth/ Prom 
whence so much is evident, that the highly enlightened apostle 
regarded it at least as possible, that the soul could leave the 
body for a season, and return to it again. Therefore, that which 
was not objectionable to this planter of Christianity amongst the 
heathen, ought also not to be so to us. 

"I regard it as highly necessary in these critical times, to draw 
the attention of the public to such like uncommon and singular 
phenomena, in order that they may be upon their guard against 
the deceitful signs and winders which are to be expected in the 
coming years. 

"It is already bad enough, that there are here and there persons 
who naturally fall into this state, and mislead many good and 
pious people to the most shocking enthusiasm and fanaticism; 
but when this dangerous matter is multiplied by art, and abused 
to injurious purposes, a hell upon earth must arise from it : and 
what is to be particularly lamented is, the appearance of sanctity 
that envelopes such persons; so that even true Christians are 
deceived by it, being dazzled by a false light ; and unless the Lord 
has compassion upon them, are plunged into perdition." 

Stilling concludes his observations with the following remark- 
able words : — " Verily a time will come when my theory of Pneu- 
matology will be brought forth from dusty corners, and I shall be 



402 VOTES. 

thanked for having written it. Dear friends and readers, I beg 
of you, for the sake of the mercy of God, not to regard me as an 
enthusiast, who carries the matter too far ; for I speak the words 
of truth and soberness, and time will justify me, even as it has 
hitherto done. Let us faithfully persevere in watching and 
prayer; and whatever may happen, we shall be safe." 



Note 4.— The account given by M, Nicolai, of the appearances 
he saw whilst in a state of indisposition, is so remarkable, that 
we here insert it, as a striking evidence of the effects of a phy- 
sically disordered imagination. His statement is as follows : 

" During the latter ten months of the year 1790, I had expe- 
rienced several melancholy events, which deeply affected me. 
particularly in September, from which time I suffered an almost 
uninterrupted series of misfortunes, which afflicted me with the 
most poignant grief. I was accustomed to be bled twice a vear ; 
this had been done on the 9th of July, but w r as omitted to be 
repeated at the end of the year. Less blood had consequently- 
been evacuated in 1790, than was usual with me; and from Sep- 
tember I was constantly occupied in business which required 
the most unremitted exertion, and which was rendered still more 
perplexing by frequent interruptions. 

" In January and February of the year 1791, I had the addi- 
tional misfortune to experience several unpleasant circumstances, 
which were followed, on the 24th February, by a most violent 
altercation. My wife and another person came into my apart* 
ment, at ten o'clock in the morning, in order to console me, but 
I was too much agitated by a series of incidents, which had 



NOTES, 403 

most powerfully affected my moral feelings, to be capable of at- 
tending to them. On a sudden, I perceived at the distance of 
about ten paces, a form like that of a deceased person. I pointed 
at it, asking my wife whether she did not see it ? It was but 
natural that she should not see any thing : my question therefore 
alarmed her much, and she sent directly for a physician. The 
phantasm continued about eight minutes. I grew at length more 
calm, and being extremely exhausted, fell into a restless slumber, 
which lasted about half an hour. The physician ascribed the 
apparition to violent mental excitement, and hoped there would 
be no return ; but the violent agitation of my mind had, in some 
way, disordered my nerves, and produced further consequences, 
which deserve a more minute description. 

" At four o'clock in the afternoon, the form which I had seen in 
the morning, re-appeared. I was by myself when this happened, 
and being rather uneasy at the incident, went to my wife's apart- 
ment; but there likewise I was followed by the apparition, which 
however disappeared at intervals, and always presented itself in 
a standing posture. About six o'clock, there appeared also se- 
veral walking figures, which had no connection with the first. 

" I cannot assign any other cause for all this, than a continued 
rumination on the vexations I had endured, which, though calmer, 
I could not forget, and the consequences of which I meditated to 
counteract. These agitations occupied my mind three hours 
after dinner, just when digestion commenced. I consoled myself 
at length with respect to the disagreeable incident which had 
occasioned the first apparition ; but the phantasms continued to 
increase and change in the most singular manner, though I had 
taken the proper medicines, and found myself perfectly well. 

<< When the first terror was over, as I beheld these phantasms 



404 NOTES. 

without great emotion, whilst taking them for what they really 
were — the remarkable consequences of an indisposition, I en- 
deavoured to collect myself as much as possible, that I might 
preserve a clear consciousness of the changes that should in- 
wardly take place in me. I observed these phantasms very 
closely, and frequently reflected on my antecedent thoughts, 
to discover, if possible, by means of what association of ideas 
exactly these forms presented themselves to my imagination. 
I thought at times I had found a clue ; but taking the whole to- 
gether, I could not make out any natural connection between the 
state of my mind, my occupations, train of thoughts, and the 
multifarious forms which now appeared to me, and then again 
disappeared. After repeated and close observations, and a calm 
examination, I was unable to form any conclusion relative to the 
origin and duration of the different phantasms which presented 
themselves to me. All that I could infer was, that while my 
nervous system was in such an irregular state, such phantasms 
would appear to me as if I actually saw and heard them,— that 
these illusions were not modified by any known laws of reason, 
imagination, or the common association of ideas, — and that pro- 
bably other people, who may have had similar apparitions, were 
exactly in the same predicament. The origin of the individual 
forms which appeared to me, was undoubtedly founded on the 
state of my mind ; but the manner in which it was thus affected, 
will probably remain as inscrutable as the origin of thought and 
reflection. 

" After the first day, the form of the deceased person no longer 
appeared, but in its place many other phantasms, sometimes re. 
presenting acquaintances, but mostly strangers. Those whom I 
knew; consisted of both living and deceased persons, but the 



NOTES. 405 

number of the latter was comparatively small. I observed, that 
persons with whom I daily conversed did not appear to me as 
phantasms, these representing chiefly persons who lived at some 
distance from me. I attempted to produce at pleasure, phantasms 
of persons whom I knew, by attentively reflecting on their coun- 
tenance, shape, &c. ; but distinctly as I recalled to my lively 
imagination the respective shapes of these persons, I still la- 
boured in vain to make them appear to me as phantasms, though 
I had before involuntarily seen them in that manner, and per- 
ceived them some time after, when I least thought of them. 
These phantasms appeared to me contrary to my inclination, as if 
they were presented to me from without, like the phenomena of 
nature, though they existed no where but within my mind. I 
could at the same time, plainly distinguish between phantasms 
and real objects; and the calmness with which I examined them, 
enabled me to avoid committing the smallest mistake. I knew 
exactly when it only appeared to me that the door was opening, 
and a phantasm entering the room, and when it actually opened, 
and a real person entered. 

" These phantasms appeared to me equally clear and distinct at 
all times and under all circumstances — both when I was alone 
and when I was in company, as well in the day as at night, and 
in my own house as well as abroad. They were however less 
frequent when I was in the house of a friend, and rarely ap- 
peared to me in the street. When I shut my eyes, these phan- 
tasms would sometimes disappear entirely, though there were 
instances when I beheld them with my eyes closed; yet when 
they disappeared on such occasions, they generally re-appeared 
when I again opened my eyes. I conversed occasionally with 
the physician and my wife, respecting the phantasms which sur- 



406 NOTES* 

rounded me at the moment. They appeared more frequently 
walking than at rest, nor were they constantly present. They 
frequently did not appear for some time ; but always re-appeared 
for a longer or a shorter period, either singly or in company ; 
the, latter, however, was most often the case. 

" I generally saw human forms of both sexes ; but they usually 
seemed not to take the smallest notice of each other, moving as 
in a market place, where all are eager to press through a crowd. 
At times, however, they seemed to be transacting business with 
each other. I also repeatedly saw people on horseback, dogs, 
and birds. All these phantasms appeared to me in their natural 
size, and as distinct as if alive, exhibiting different shades of 
carnation in the uncovered parts, as well as different colours and 
fashions in their dress, though the colours seemed to me some- 
what paler than in real nature. None of the figures appeared 
particularly terrible, comical, or disgusting ; most of them being 
of an indifferent shape, and some having a pleasing appearance. 
The longer these phantasms continued to appear, the more fre- 
quently did they return, whilst at the same time they increased 
in number. 

" About four weeks after their first appearance, I began also to 
hear them speak. They sometimes conversed among themselves, 
but more frequently they directed their discourse to me. Their 
speeches were commonly short, and never of an unpleasant tenor. 
Several times I saw beloved and sensible friends of both sexes, 
whose addresses tended to appease my grief, which had not wholly 
subsided. These consolatory speeches were in general addressed 
to me when I was alone ; sometimes, however, I was accosted by 
these consoling friends whilst in company, even while real per- 
sons were speaking to me. These consolatory addresses con- 



NOTES. 407 

sisted sometimes of abrupt phrases, and at others they were re- 
gularly connected, 

" Though both my mind and body were in a tolerable state of 
sanity at this time, and these phantasms became so familiar to me, 
that they did not cause me the slightest uneasiness — -I even some- 
times amused myself with surveying them, and spoke jocularly 
of them to the physician and my wife, — yet I did not neglect to 
use proper medicines, especially when they began to haunt me 
the whole day, and even at night as soon as I awoke. 

" At last it was agreed that leeches should be again applied to 
me, as formerly, which was accordingly done on the 20th April, 
1791, at eleven o'clock in the morning. No one was with me 
besides the surgeon, but during the operation, my chamber was 
crowded with human phantasms of all descriptions. This con- 
tinued without interruption, till about half-past four, just when 
my digestion commenced. I then perceived, that they began to 
move more slowly ; soon after, their colours began to fade ; and at 
seven o'clock they were entirely white, and moved very little, 
though the forms were as distinct as before ; growing, however, 
by degrees more obscure, yet not fewer in number, as had gene- 
rally been the case. The phantasms did not withdraw, nor did 
they vanish, which previous to that time had frequently occurred; 
They now seemed to dissolve in the air, whilst fragments of some 
of them continued visible a considerable time. About eight 
o'clock the room was entirely cleared of my fantastic visitors. 

" Since that period, I have felt twice or three times a sensation 

as if these phantasms were going to re-appear, without however 

actually seeing any thing. The same sensation surprised me just 

before I drew up this account, whilst I was examining some 

papers relative to these apparitions, which I had drawn up the 

year 1791,' ' 

2 e i 2 



408 NOTES. 

Note 5.— The doctrine here advanced by our author, will be 
doubtless new and strange to many, from its not forming part of 
any protestant creed, nor being ever brought forward in an Eng- 
lish pulpit. It is however clearly contained in the Holy Scrip- 
tures, although all our protestant translators, with one accord, 
have studiously avoided every expression in their versions which 
could betray, or give countenance to it. Yet it is a subject of so 
much importance, with reference to the real state of every indivi- 
dual after leaving this world, that it is deserving of the most 
rigid and candid investigation; for if it be found to be correct 
and scriptural, the views that are generally entertained of the 
future state of the soul, will be proved to be false and ill-founded. 
We therefore subjoin the whole of our author's defence of this 
doctrine, extracted from his apology for the present work, occa- 
sioned by its being prohibited by the Council of Basle, and also 
in the kingdom of Wirtemberg, where every copy of it was or- 
dered to be delivered up. 

" There is no need of the Bible, nor of a divine revelation, to 
prove, and even mathematically demonstrate, that the earth is 
hollow within, or contains a spacious concavity, which is obvious 
if we consider, that at the creation, the earth was first of all, a 
* Thohu vapohu, 3 a waste and void mass of earth and water, 
deeply covered with the latter, (Gen. i. 2.) In this state it did 
not revolve upon its axis, consequently all the heavier parts sunk 
towards the centre. The heaviest substances, stone and earth, were 
there; the Hghter, — for instance, water, — above, upon the cir- 
cumference. The earth then began to move like a wheel upon its 
axis. Now every one who is acquainted with the great Sir Isaac 
Newton's theory of the universe, or has ever attended lectures on 
physiology, must know, that all masses, consisting of solid and 
fluid, light and heavy materials, as is the case with this earthly 



NOTES. 409 

globe, as soon as they receive a rotatory motion, and revolve ra- 
pidly, must experience a total change ; for by this revolution, all 
substances receive a centrifugal power, in proportion to the weight 
of the revolving mass, but which continues to decrease with their 
distance from the centre, till it stands in equal proportion to the 
centripetal force. On this account, the heaviest parts of the 
earth, such as rocks, mountains, and the various kinds of earth, 
must remove the furthest from the centre, and form the outermost 
shell, and the bottom of the sea : below this outer rind is water, 
perhaps also continents, in some places islands, then dense atmos- 
pheric air ; still nearer to the centre, a more refined atmosphere, 
and in the centre of the earth, probably a dark ball of fire. This 
is so physically just, that no scientific person can doubt of it ; 
for the revolution of the earth is so rapid, that under the equator 
it is equal to about 225 German miles (1000 English) per hour, 
and with us, about 150 such miles, because we are from 40 to 41 
degrees nearer the North Pole ; that is, from the place in which 
I am at present, I advance in one hour, with all the objects that 
surround me, on the earth's surface, 150 German miles in an 
easterly direction. But if the progress of the earth round the 
sun be added to the calculation, it will amount to perhaps several 
thousand miles. An astronomer will fully understand me, and 
testify that what I say is true, and according to nature. This 
rapid revolution renders it impossible for any heavy substances 
to remain in the vicinity of the earth's centre : they must all fly 
off from it in proportion to their gravity; and those bodies 
which have the least solidity, such as fire and the particles of 
light, assume an orbicular shape in the midst. We do not need a 
divine revelation to be assured of this, but merely a physical 
and cosmological knowledge. 



410 ■ NOTES. 

I certainly cannot prove from physiology and cosmogony, that 
Hell and Hades are in this inward concavity of the earth, and that 
the latter extends through the shell of the earth, and through our 
atmosphere, up to heaven above, in pure ether, to the residence 
of the blest : but we will see what the Bible says of it. 

In Proverbs v. 5, it is said "Her feet (those of a meretricious 
woman) hasten down unto death : her steps take hold on Sheol," 
The Septuagint here translates the Hebrew Sheol, by the Greek 
word Hades. Both signify the gloomy, silent receptacle of the 
dead, and not always, but rather very seldom, hell. Luther (as 
well as our English translators) translated both words almost al- 
ways, " hell," and at other times, " grave ;" but this is not correct, 
and causes mistakes. In the passage quoted above, it signifies 
the place of torment in Hades, which we call Hell. The word 
'* down," shews that this melancholy abode is deep in the earth. 

Further, Isaiah v. 14, "Therefore, (because the Israelites had 
carried their transgressions to such an excess,) Sheol (the Septu- 
agint again translates Hades) hath enlarged herself, and opened 
her mouth without measure ; and their glory, and their multitude, 
and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth shall descend into it." 

There is no doubt that here the place of torment in Hades, or 
hell, is meant, and that this is deep in the earth. 

Again, we find in Isaiah xiv. 9 — 19, a passage, which belongs 
to the most awfully sublime of the whole Bible. I will translate 
it very minutely, and subjoin it. 

Ver. 9. "Sheol in the deep was excited on thy account, to go, 
forth to meet thee, when thou earnest. For sake of thee, the 
giants were awakened; all the goats of the earth, and caused that 
all the kings of the heathen, rose up from their seats." 

The subject here is that great and cruel conqueror, the king of 



NOTES. 411 

Babylon, and his reception in Sheol, or Hades. It is beyond a 
doubt that here again, the place of the damned in Hades is meant; 
and that this place is below, in the depth of the earth. 

Ver. 10. " They all together (the giants, the goats, and the 
kings of the heathen) begin and say unto thee, Thou art become 
impotent as we; thou art become like unto us/' 

Ver. 11. " Thy loftiness is cast down into Sheol, with the 
sound of thy lute : worms shall now become thy couch, and worms 
shall be thy covering. " 

This has probably reference to the corruption of his body in 
the grave. 

Ver. 12. " How art thou fallen from heaven, thou brilliant star, 
thou son of the morning ! Thou art cut dowruto the ground, thou 
that didst weaken the princes of the people." 

Ver. 13. "Yet thou thoughtest in thine heart, I will ascend 
up to heaven, I will elevate my jthrone above the stars of God ; 
yea, I will set myself on the mount of assembly, on the sides of 
the north.' ' 

That is, thou didst intend to prepare thee a seat on the north 
side of the temple at Jerusalem, where afterwards Fort Antonia 
was erected, which commanded the temple. 

Ver. 14. "I will ascend up to the heights of the thick clouds, 
and make myself equal to the Most High." 

Ver. 15. " Yet] hast thou been cast down into Sheol, to the 
sides of the pit." 

These words, "to the sides of the pit," are literally translated 
from the Hebrew ; for ya *my bn ell jarhethei bor, mean, ad 
later a fovea. The Septuagint however says, eig rd OejikXia ttjq 
yrjg, into the bottom, into the deepest place of the earth; and this 
is also really the proper sense of the words : the king of Babylon 



412 NOTES. 

was to be brought down into the deepest place of the earth's 
concavity, into Sheol, that is, into its centre. 

Ver. 16. "Those that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, 
consider thee, and say, Is this the man that made the earth to 
tremble, and the kingdoms to quake 1 " 

Ver. 17. "That made the earth a desert, and demolished its 
cities ; that suffered not his prisoners to go home?" 

Ver. 18. "All the kings of the heathen, together, repose in 
honour, every one in his house." 

Ver. 19. "But thou art cast out of thy grave, like an abomi- 
nable branch," &c. 

Now can any one still doubt, whether the Bible contains what I 
have asserted, that the earth is inwardly hollow, and that hell is 
in the midst of it? 

Although it be superfluous, yet I will here quote some additional 
passages. In Job xi. 8, Zophar says, " He (that is, God) is 
higher than the heaven : what wilt thou do ? Deeper than Sheol, 
what canst thou know ?" 

Chap. xxvi. 6. "Sheol is uncovered before Him." (God.) 
And David says in the 139th Psalm, 8th verse, " If I ascend up 
to heaven, Thou art there ; if I make my bed in Scheol, there 
Thou art also." 

But that Scheol or Had^es contains not only the place of the 
damned, but is also the receptacle of all departed souls, or rather 
was so, till Christ proclaimed to the Old Testament saints, the 
day after his crucifixion, their redemption, and conducted them 
in triumph over death and Sheol, to his glory, is proved by the 
following passages : — 

In Genesis xxxvii. 35, the patriarch Jacob says to his children, 
who sought to comfort him, on the (supposed) death of his son 



NOTES. 413 

Joseph, " I shall go down with sorrow into Sheol to my son." 
There can be no reference here to the grave, for he believed that 
Joseph was devoured by wild beasts ; and equally as little to hell, 
for Jacob and Joseph did not belong there : he speaks therefore 
of the receptacle of the dead (Hades), where the pious were also 
obliged to wait, though in a state of rest and inward peace, for 
their eventual salvation. 

Job, the patient sufferer, says, (chap. xvii. 13.) "Though I 
wait long, yet is Sheol (Hades) my house, and my bed is made 
in darkness." That is, my soul shall abide in Hades, and my 
body rest in the gloomy grave. Job went not to hell, and conse- 
quently it means the place of rest in Hades. 

Again, in Psalm lxxxix. 49. " Who is there that liveth, and 
shall not see death ? Who can deliver his soul from the hand of 
Sheol 1" 

That is, every one must die ; nor can any soul withdraw itself 
from Hades : thither all the pious as well as the impious must 
go, but with this great difference, that the former depart to a 
blissful state of rest ; the latter to eternal torment. 

Further, Eccles. ix. 10. " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, 
do it with all thy might. For in Sheol, whither thou art going, 
there is neither work, nor device, nor reflection, nor wisdom." 

That is, do here what is incumbent upon thee without delay ; 
for beneath, in Sheol, or Hades, thou canst no longer do any 
thing ; there every thing is wanting. And 

In Isaiah xxxviii. 10. King Hezekiah complains in his sickness 
and says, " Now must I descend to the gates of Sheol." Heze- 
kiah was a pious king, and the place of the damned cannot here 
be meant. 

Let it always be observed, that the Hebrew word Sheol, and 



414 NOTES. 

the Greek term Hades, have the same meaning, and signify the 
receptacle of departed spirits. 

These are the testimonies of the Old Testament ; let us now 
also examine what the New Testament says on this subject. In 
this part of the Bible, which is written in Greek, the Hebrew 
word " Sheol " no longer occurs, but its equivalent, " Hades." 
Here it is particularly remarkable, that the place of torment in 
Hades is generally called "Gehenna," as will be found in the 
sequel. The Greek word Geenna, or Gehenna, comes from the 
Hebrew Ge Hinnom, the valley of Hinnom. This valley, which 
lies to the south of Jerusalem, divided Mount Zion from Mount 
Gihon. During the period of the idolatry of the Israelites, chil- 
dren were burnt in it, at a place called Tophet, in honor of Mo- 
loch : this made this valley a place of horror and abhorrence, and 
afterwards an emblem of the place of torment in Hades. This is 
what is properly called Hell. 

Christ says in Matt. xvi. 8, " Thou art Peter, and on this rock 
will I build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail 
against it." 

That is, the church which Peter founded at Jerusalem on the 
first day of Pentecost, and in the following days, shall not be 
overcome by all those that go in and out of the gates of Hades ; 
and these are wicked angels and the souls of men. This is an 
incontestible proof that the real followers of Christ have to strive 
against the world of spirits, as is also certain and evident from 
Ephesians vi. 

Our Lord says in Luke x. 15, " And thou, Capernaum, that art 
exalted to heaven, thou shalt be cast down into Hades." This is 
a metaphor, and signifies that Capernaum was a flourishing city, 
which had besides, the unspeakable happiness of being the fre- 



NOTES. 415 

quent residence of the Redeemer of the world j but should be 
cast down into the abyss of misery, on account of its evil doings. 
By the way, it is evident, that Christ, who is truth itself, places 
Hades in the depth of the earth. 

Remarkable and suitable for my purpose, is the passage in Luke 
xvi. 24. Christ here says of the rich man, " And in Hades he 
lifted up his eyes, being in torment." But of this parable I shall 
be obliged to speak in the sequel. 

The word " Gehenna" occurs in the following passages : — 

Matt. v. 22. " But he that says, thou fool ! shall be in danger 
of the fire of Gehenna." Verse 29 & 30. " It is better that one 
of thy members»perish, than that thy whole body be cast into 
Gehenna." Chap, xxiii. 15. " Woe unto you, Scribes and Phari- 
sees — you make proselytes, and afterwards sons of Gehenna of 
them." Verse 33. "Ye generation of vipers, how will ye escape 
the judgment of Gehenna? " &c. The apostle James says of the 
tongue, that " it it is set on fire of Gehenna." 

It seems probable to me, that by the fiery Gehenna must be 
understood the place of torment in Sheol or Hades, which is in 
the centre of the earth. But I hasten farther. 

I have now proved that Hades commences at the concavity of 
the earth, and have still to show, that it extends through the 
outer shell, and through the atmosphere, up to pure ether, and 
borders on the abode of the blest, that is, on heaven. Many 
places testify that this abode of the blest is on high, in heaven ; 
and no one doubts that Christ was lifted up in a cloud, and as- 
cended to heaven. I cannot, however, prove from the Bible, that 
the space which extends from the Gehenna, in the centre'' of 
the earth, up to the heaven of the blest, is occupied by Hades : 
yet, I could prove it from the testimony of souls that have re- 



416 NOTES. 

appeared after death, and from the testimony of magnetized and 
other persons, who all agree in it ; hut these testimonies would 
not be received. It is unpleasant for me, that I dare not prove it, 
because some family or other would always be placed in a painful 
situation by so doing ; and therefore they are not willing that 
such things should be made public : otherwise I could adduce 
official documents respecting several apparitions, which were in 
reality strictly investigated, and the apparitions found to be true. 
But if hell and the damned be in the centre of the earth, and 
heaven with its blest inhabitants be above in ether, it is only 
credible, that the space betwixt both extremes is filled with souls, 
which are nearer to the one or the other extreme, according to 
the degree of their morality, virtue, and piety. And, generally 
speaking, this is not a point that can have any influence on the 
actions of men, and is therefore a matter of perfect indifference. 

No one who is acquainted with the subject will deny, that my 
doctrine of Hades, or a purification after death, w r as not the general 
doctrine of the Christian religion or the universal church, from 
the first period of the church down to the Reformation. But 
when the Romish church afterwards made a purgatory of it, 
from which any one could be released by masses for his soul, 
which were dearly paid for, the reformers were quite in the 
right in banishing purgatory from their creed ; but they ought to 
have retained the doctrine of the primitive churches, of the con- 
tinued operation of Christ's work of redemption after death. 
This I shall afterwards prove. 

The passages that are adduced to show, that the wicked after 
death go immediately to hell, and the righteous to heaven, and 
that consequently there is no intermediate state, are the fol- 
lowing' : — 



NOTES. 417 

The first I will mention, is the beautiful and instructive para- 
ble of the rich man. Luke xvi. 19 — 31. Our Lord here relates, 
that Lazarus died, and was carried by angels (mark !) into Abra- 
ham's bosom, that is, into the place of rest and peace in Sheol, 
or Hades, where Abraham with all the old testament saints abode, 
as I have already copiously proved. The rich man also died and 
was buried. The Lord now expresses himself verbatim as fol- 
lows : — " And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, 
and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, " &c. 

The rich man was therefore in the place of torment in Hades, and 
Abraham likewise in Hades, but at a great distance from the rich 
man, and in a state of blessedness ; and thus he was perceived 
by the rich man on lifting up his eyes, Abraham's abode was 
therefore much higher, which is again a hint, that Hades ascends 
upwards out of the earth. The poor wretch now begged for 
some alleviation of his misery ; but this the patriarch mildly 
refused, and added the excuse, that there was between them a 
great gulf, ya<j\ia f.dya, hiatus magnus, which could not be 
passed from any quarter, &c. 

It does not follow at all from this parable, that departed souls 
pass immediately after death to the place of their final destina- 
tion, either heaven or hell ; for both were in Hades, only at a 
great distance from each other. But now, after the ascension of 
Christ, after he has taken possession of the kingdom, and pre- 
pared the mansions for his people, all the saints of the old testa- 
ment are with him ; and all those that die in true faith in him, 
and who are redeemed and purified by his blood, come not into 
condemnation, but instantaneously enter into the joy of their 
Lord ; as I have stated at length in all my writings, whenever 
this subject -was treated of. I have never denied that rewards 



418 NOTES. 

and punishments immediately commence after death ; at present, 
we are only treating of the places, heaven, Hades, and hell. 

The instance of the penitent thief, to whom Christ said, 
l< Verily, verily, this day shalt thou be with me in paradise/' is 
also brought forward against this doctrine, and is intended to 
prove, that the thief, immediately after death, entered into the 
real heaven, the mansion of the blest, and enjoyed the vision of 
God ; but this is incorrect : he went where Christ also went, 
the same day, immediately after death, to Hades, to the place 
of rest and peace, where the fathers of the ancient covenant 
abode. The Jews, in the time of Christ, called this place 
" paradise," even as they called the place of torment in Hades, 
" Gehenna." It is evident, that by the term paradise, Christ 
did not understand the first heaven, in which is the throne of 
God, from what he said to Mary of Magdala, after his resurrec- 
tion, (John xx. 17.) " I am not yet ascended to my Father," &c. 
Therefore, when Christ said to the thief, " To-day shalt thou be 
with me in paradise," seeing that after his resurrection, he was 
still not in heaven, but had descended into the lowest parts of the 
earth, (Ephes. iv. 8,) consequently into Hades; it naturally fol- 
lows, that the thief accompanied him thither, and was there pre- 
pared for full felicity. Paul was also caught up into paradise. 
(2 Cor. xii.) where he heard unspeakable words : he calls it the 
third heaven; consequently it was not the first, where the vision 
of God is enjoyed. Finally, Christ also mentions paradisein Rev. 
ii. 7. Those that overcome of the Ephesian church, shall eat of the 
fruit of the tree of life in paradise. Those of Smyrna shall be deli- 
vered from the second death. They of Pergamos shall eat of the 
hidden manna. The Thyatirians obtain power over the heathen. 
The Sardians, white priestly garments. The Philadelphians are 



NOTES* 419 

made pillars in the temple of God ; and the Laodicean conquerors 
shall even sit on the throne of the Father and the Son, upon the 
throne of all worlds. Observe this important gradation. As the 
church militant, from the apostles' times downwards, increases 
in inward strength and illumination, (I mean with reference to 
true believers,) and as the conflict with the kingdom of darkness 
becomes more difficult, the greater will be the reward of the vic- 
tors. Eating of the fruit of the tree of life in paradise, is something 
much inferior to wearing white priestly garments, or being pillars 
in the temple of God, or sitting with Christ upon the throne of 
all worlds. Consequently, paradise is the outer court of heaven, 
the eternal morning. O happy he, who obtains even this region 
for his abode ! 

Another passage is that in Rev. xiv. 13. " Blessed are the 
dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth." But this is not at 
all applicable, as I have stated in my theory, and as I have also 
observed above, that the souls of the righteous are, at death, 
immediately received by angels, and conducted to the regions of 
bliss. * 

Besides this, I must also mention, that the passage in question 
has by no means the sense which is generally attached to it ; but 
its meaning is, From the time of these great troubles, which are 
here announced, from henceforth, blessed are those that die in the 
Lord; for they are taken away from the evil to come, they enter 
into peace, and their works follow them. 

There are some who cannot comprehend how it is possible, 
that a soul can continue for centuries in Hades, without advancing 
further; as for instance, the White Lady, who must now have 
wandered about for three centuries and a half. 

In reply, I ask if it be more easy to comprehend, how the great 



420 NOTES. 

multitude of civilly good, honest individuals, who have troubled 
themselves little about Christ and his religion during their lives, 
and only practised its outward rites because others did so ; that 
these, after death, should be immediately condemned to the end- 
less torments of hell? Into heaven, the kingdom of love and 
humility, they cannot possibly enter. Whither then shall they 
go? How can the God of love, of infinite love, who is willing 
that all men should be saved, permit that mankind, because of the 
neglect of a span's length of time, should be tormented infinitely, 
to all eternity ? The case is different with daring and wicked 
sinners, who heap up one vice upon another. 

This middle class of men, who are neither fit for heaven nor 
hell, ought to take serious warning from the White Lady, and 
others in a similar situation, together with all that is appalling in 
Hades, in order that they may repent and be converted; for 
although they are not referred to these things as the means of 
conversion, which are provided by religion ; yet still, they may, 
at the same time, derive benefit from them. 

I conclude this subject with adverting to a few more passages, 
which are supposed to controvert the doctrine of an intermediate 
state. These are, Heb. ix. 27. " It is appointed unto men once 
to die, (not frequently,) and after that, (fierce de tovto) the judg- 
ment." "Thus Christ was once offered, &c." " He shall appear 
the second time to punish and reward," — that is, to judgment. 
Here, there is not a word said about judgment immediately fol- 
lowing death, but the sense is this : As man has two important 
epochs, in which his eternal destiny is decided, — that is, his 
departure from this world, and the last judgment; — so Christ has 
also his two epochs, his mediatorial death on the cross, and his 
majestic return to judge the living and the dead. In other 






NOTES. 421 

respects, Hades, as a place of amendment and purification, is 
truly a heavy judgment upon a soul that has here neglected its 
salvation! " 



It seems almost superfluous to add any thing to these clear and 
conclusive, scriptural and rational proofs of the existence of an 
intermediate state between heaven and hell, which is the abode 
of multitudes, between the death of the body and the last judg- 
ment, particularly as it is a subject upon which some of the most 
celebrated divines of various persuasions in our own country 
agree, and is so pointedly confirmed by every authentic apparition 
of departed spirits. We may however be allowed to observe, 
what every school-boy is acquainted with, that in the Grecian 
and Roman mythology, by the term "Hades" was understood 
the state into which every soul entered immediately after leaving 
this world, before it was called up to judgment, to receive its 
final destination, either to Tartarus or the Elysian fields. Thus 
the idea which these heathen nations had of it, strikingly corres- 
ponds with that which is given of it in this work. It is also 
notorious, that even to the present day, the Jews understand by 
Sheol, a place of purification, through which they all must pass, 
and continue there a year and a day, according to their supersti- 
tious notions, before they can be admitted into paradise. It is 
therefore very obvious, that these words must have been used by 
the sacred writers in the sense above mentioned, and not to 
imply a place of everlasting torment, or merely the burial place 
of the body, as the present versions of Scripture lead the reader 
to suppose, ' 



The point being therefore thus clearly established, the in- 
ferences to be drawn from it will be found to be most solemn 
and important. 

1st. It rectifies our views with regard to a future state. 

There is scarcely an individual to be found, however profligate 
may have been his life, and however multiplied his transgres- 
sions, (unless under the horrors of a guilty conscience,) who 
believes himself worthy of, hell, and who does not pacify his 
mind with the idea of the mercy of God, and the hope of some 
happier state after death. And this is more especially the case 
with those who, though they are destitute of real religion, have 
not to reproach themselves with any gross vices, or have perhaps 
laid them aside, when more advanced in years, and look upon 
them in the light of youthful follies and juvenile indiscretions. 
They cannot conceive that they have committed any crime of 
such enormity as to subject themselves to everlasting torment; 
and being 'ignorant of any other state than heaven and hell, na- 
turally persuade themselves, that at death they will be received 
into the former, however unfit for it they may be in reality ; 
which belief, it is to be feared, tends much to confirm them in 
this awful delusion. And finally, there are others, who, having 
beeu awakened and partially converted, make themselves sure, 
and are assured by others, that when they leave this world, the 
highest honours, and dignities, and glories of heaven await 
them, though many a secret lust and sensual desire still predomi- 
nate in their souls, which they fondly but vainly expect to lay 
aside with their bodies. All these characters may here learn 
what will be their real state and situation after death, if they 
continue in their present condition : for the whole of what has 
been said upon the subject of Hades in this book, and the appa° 



NOTES. 423 

ritions of which it gives an account, are a pointed and practical 
comment upon those solemn words, M Without holiness no man 
shall see the Lord." 

2nd. It justifies the dealings of God with his creatures. 

The sceptic and the irreligionist can never he "brought to be* 
lieve the existence of a place of torment, according to the view 
generally given of it, being unable to reconcile it with their ideas 
either of the mercy or justice of God ; and it is therefore to 
them a constant stumbling-block, whilst the injudicious reference 
so frequently made by some, to the torments of the damned, against 
whom they include all who are not exactly of their own opinion 
in matters of faith, only excites their derision and contempt. 
But no candid inquirer after truth can refuse his assent to the 
self-evident proposition, that according as a man has lived in this 
world will be his state in the next 5 — that if he has here neglected 
and rejected the light and grace of God so freely offered him in 
the gospel, he will naturally and necessarily be deprived of them 
after death, and reap the fruit of his sensual and godless life in 
the utter destitution of holiness and consequent blessedness 
hereafter. It is here also clearly evident, that not the mere out- 
ward fulfilment of any acts of devotion, nor any set of religious 
notions and opinions, with whatever name they may be dignified, 
nor however orthodox and scriptural they may be, will be of any 
avail, except in so far as they have produced a change of heart, 
and have influenced the man's life and conduct. " What a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap." Such is the righteous decision 
of the just and infallible Judge. The degree of our happiness or 
misery after death, will be in exact correspondence with our state 
of spiritual or worldly mindedness on leaving this world, 
2 f % 



424 NOTES. 

3rd. It furnishes a most powerful incitement to a religious life, 
and to increasing diligence in the path of holiness. 

There are those who affirm, that the open promulgation of such 
a doctrine would produce an effect precisely the reverse, and 
tend to encourage men to continue at a distance from God, and 
in the enjoyment of the pleasures of the world : but the writer 
of this note must say from his own experience, that the more he 
has investigated the subject, the more deeply has he felt the in- 
finite importance of eternal things, and the necessity of making 
them the chief object of his thoughts, desires, and pursuits, if 
by any means he may enter here, into that rest which remaineth 
for the people of God, and at death be found worthy, through 
grace, of being immediately received into those mansions of 
peace and blessedness, which Christ has prepared for them that 
love him. He does not however deny, that there may be some 
who would pervert this doctrine to their own destruction; but 
this has been the case with the truths of Scripture in every age, 
and still takes place, even in those who know of no other state 
awaiting them, than that of eternal misery. Such characters he 
would, however, affectionately warn, not to heap up. to them- 
selves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the 
righteous judgment of God; but let the serious consideration of 
this subject induce them to " seek the Saviour while he may be 
found, and to call upon him while he is near ; and by forsaking 
their wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts, return unto the 
Lord, that he may have mercy upon them, and to our God, that 
he may abundantly pardon them." 



NOTES. 425 

Note 6. — In Stilling's " Pocket Book for the Friends of Reli- 
gion," 1809, this anecdote is related more circumstantially. He 
sajs, 

"lam acquainted with a Russian gentleman of rank, who fills 
a respectable office, but is at the same time a highly enlightened 
Christian, and, generally speaking, an excellent man. This 
gentleman told me, that he was well acquainted, and on inti- 
mate terms, with the Russian ambassador, who resided many 
years at Stockholm, during Swedenborg's time. This ambas- 
sador and Swedenborg often met together ; he had often seen 
the latter in his trances, and had learnt wonderful things from 
him. The manner in which Swedenborg assisted a certain 
widow to find her receipt, and regarding which he has been 
accused of deception, took place in reality as follows : — A re- 
spectable man in Stockholm bought an estate of another, paid 
for it, and received an acknowledgment. The purchaser died 
soon after ; and a long time had not elapsed, before the seller 
demanded payment of the widow for the estate, threatening her 
that he would otherwise take possession of it again. The widow 
was terrified ; she knew that her husband had paid for the estate, 
and made search for the receipt, which, however, she was unable 
to find any where. This greatly increased her fright ; and as 
her deceased husband had been on friendly terms with the Rus- 
sian ambassador, she had recourse to him. 

" The ambassador knew from experience, what assistance 
Swedenborg had occasionally afforded in such cases ; and as the 
widow was not known to him, the ambassador undertook the 
matter. He spoke, therefore, with Swedenborg, the first oppor- 
tunity, and recommended the cause of the widow to him. Some 
days after, Swedenborg came to the ambassador, and requested 
him to tell the widow, that on such a night, her husband would 



426 

appear to her at twelve o'clock, and would tell her where the receipt 
lay. However terrible this might seem to the widow, yet she 
was obliged to coDsent to it, because the paying for the estate a 
second time would have rendered her poor, or would even have 
been impracticable to her. She, therefore, resigned herself to 
her fate, sat up on the night appointed, and retained a chamber- 
maid with her, who, however, soon began to fall asleep, and 
could by no means be kept awake. At twelve o'clock the de- 
ceased appeared ; he looked grave, and as though displeased ; and 
then pointed out to the widow the place where the receipt lay, 
namely, in a certain room, in a little desk attached to the wall ; 
on which he disappeared. The widow went the next morning to 
the place he had indicated, and found the receipt. ,, 

Another anecdote of Swedenborg's faculty of presentiment is 
inserted in the same work, which was related to the author by 
one, who, from his piety and love to truth, must be regarded as a 
credible witness. " I was in Amsterdam," says this individual, 
ci in the year 1762, on the very day that Peter the Third, 
Emperor of Russia, died, in a company, in which Swedenborg 
was present. In the midst of our conversation, his countenance 
changed, and it was evident that his soul was no longer present, 
and that something extraordinary was passing in him. As soon 
as he came to himself again, he was asked what had happened to 
him. He would not at first communicate it, but at length, after 
being repeatedly requested, he said, * This very hour, the Em- 
peror Peter III. has died in his prison, (mentioning at the same 
time, the manner of his death.) Gentlemen will please to note 
down the day, that they may be able to compare it with the 
intelligence of his death in the newspapers.' The latter sub- 
sequently announced the Emperor's death, as having taken place 
on that day," 



NOTES. 427 

Note 7, — A similar circumstance occurred to a relative of the 
translator's, who, having been placed in his younger years with a 
cabinet-maker, was one day working at a model, when he sud- 
denly rose up from his seat, and in a fit of absence, walked to 
the opposite end of the room. On arriving there, he began to 
reprove himself for thus leaving his work without any reason, 
and was just on the point of returning to it, when the ceiling 
above the place where he had been sitting, gave way, and fell 
immediately upon it, dashing to pieces the model, at which the 
moment before he had been working. The master cabinet-maker, 
though by no means a pious character, was deeply struck by this 
visible interposition of Divine Providence, and could not avoid 
openly ascribing the young man's wonderful escape to the true 
source. 



Note 8. — The following very remarkable dream is related in 
" the Times" newspaper of 16th August, 1828. 

"In the night of the 11th of May, 1812, Mr. Williams, of 
Scorrier house, near Redruth, in Cornwall, awoke his wife, and 
exceedingly agitated, told her, that he had dreamed that he was 
in the lobby of the House of Commons, and saw a man shoot with 
a pistol, a gentleman who had just entered the lobby, who was 
said to be the chancellor: to which Mrs. Williams naturally 
replied, that it was only a dream, and recommended him to be 
composed, and go to sleep as soon as he could. He did so, but 
shortly after again awoke her, and said, that he had the second 
time had the same dream ; whereupon she observed, that he had 
been so much agitated with his former dream, that she supposed 
it had dwelt on his mind, and begged of him to try to compose 



himself, and go to sleep, which he did. A third time, the same 
vision was repeated ; on which, notwithstanding her entreaties 
that he would be quiet, and endeavour to forget it, he arose, 
being then between one and two o'clock, and dressed himself* 
At breakfast, the dreams were the sole subject of conversation; 
and in the forenoon Mr. Williams went to Falmouth, where he 
related the particulars of them to all of his acquaintance that he 
met. On the following day, Mr. Tucker of Trematon Castle, 
accompanied by his wife, a daughter of Mr. Williams, went to 
Scorrier house about dusk. Immediately after the first saluta- 
tions, on their entering the parlour, where were Mr., Mrs., and 
Miss Williams, Mr. Williams began to relate to Mr. Tucker 
the circumstances of his dream; and Mrs. Williams observed to 
her daughter, Mrs. Tucker, laughingly, that her father could not 
even suffer Mr. Tucker to be seated, before he told him of his 
nocturnal visitation: on the statement of which, Mr. Tucker 
observed, that it would do very well for a dream to have the 
chancellor in the lobby of the House of Commons, but that he 
would not be found there in reality: and Mr. Tucker then asked 
what sort of man he appeared to be, when Mr. Williams mi- 
nutely described him ; to which Mr. Tucker replied : Your 
description is not at all that of the chancellor, but is certainly 
very exactly that of Mr. Perceval, the chancellor of the exche- 
quer ; and although he has been to me the greatest enemy I ever 
met with through life, for a supposed cause, which had no foun- 
dation in truth, (or words to that effect,) I should be exceedingly 
sorry indeed to hear of his being assassinated, or of any injury of 
the kind happening to him. Mr. Tucker then enquired of Mr. 
Williams if he had ever seen Mr. Perceval, and was told that he 
never had seen him, nor had ever even written to him, either on 



NOTES. 429 

public or private business; in short, that he never had had any 
thing to do with him, nor had he ever been in the lobby of the House 
of Commons in his life. At this moment, whilst Mr. Williams 
and Mr. Tucker were still standing, they heard a horse gallop to 
the door of the house, and immediately after, Mr. Michael Williams 
of Treviner (son of Mr. Williams of Scorrier) entered the room, 
and said, that he had galloped out from Truro, (from which 
Scorrier is distant seven miles,) having seen a gentleman there, 
who had come by that evening's mail from London, who said that 
he was in the lobby of the House of Commons on the evening of 
the 11th, when a man called Bellingham had shot Mr. Perceval; 
and that as it might occasion some great ministerial changes, and 
might affect Mr. Tucker's political friends, he had come out as 
fast as he could, to make him acquainted with it, having heard at 
Truro, that he had passed through that place in the afternoon on 
his way to Scorrier. After the astonishment which this intelli- 
gence had created, had a little subsided, Mr. Williams described 
most particularly the appearance and dress of the man that he 
saw in his dream fire the pistol, as he had before done of Mr. 
Perceval. About six weeks after, Mr. Williams having business 
in town, went, accompanied by a friend, to the House of Commons, 
where, as has been already observed, he had never before been. 
Immediately that he came to the steps at the entrance of the 
lobby, he said, 'This place is as distinctly within my recollection, 
in my dream, as any room in my house ; ' and he made the same 
observation when he entered the lobby. He then pointed out the 
exact spot where Bellingham stood when he fired, and which 
Mr. Perceval had reached when he was struck by the ball, and 
where and how he fell. The dress, both of Mr. Perceval and 
Bellingham, agreed with the descriptions given by Mr. Williams, 
even to the most minute particular." 



430 NOTES. 

" The Times" states, that Mr. Williams was then alive, and 
the witnesses, to whom he made known the particulars of his 
dream, were also living; and that the editor had received the 
statement from a correspondent of unquestionable veracity. 



Note 9. The striking and important fact, established by this 
remarkable narrative, that prayer for the dead is, at least in some 
cases, availing, and therefore acceptable to God, will doubtless 
startle many a pious reader, and appear to him as opening the 
door to all the abuses which are currently practised by the church 
of Rome in reference to it, Let us hear what our author says 
further upon this subject, premising, however, that there is little 
reason to apprehend in protestant countries, in the present day, 
a recurrence to obsolete abuses, and that there are few who are 
so much in love with prayer as to expend it on what is generally 
conceived so hopeless a subject. 

In the " Pocket Book for the Friends of Religion," 1810, our 
author replies to the inquiry, " whether it is lawful to pray for 
the dead," by saying, " The articles of faith of the Protestant 
church answer decidedly in the negative ; because they establish 
the principle, that at death the eternal destiny of the individual 
is irrevocably decided. But this is contradicted by the belief of 
the whole Christian church, from the times of the apostles down 
to the Reformation, as well as by reason and experience. The 
Bible does not decide the point ; yet it gives hints regarding the 
continuance of the purification of the soul after death; and if the 
latter takes place, prayer for the dead is not unavailing, — it cannot 
be detrimental in any case. 



NOTES. 431 

" In a considerable town in which I dwelt, there lived an indi- 
vidual who was altogether a mere man of the world, and had no 
feeling for an y thing* good or beautiful in the world, except money 
and property. To obtain these, all his efforts were directed, and 
he gave himself no concern about God and religion, with the 
exception of the outward ceremonies of the church. This man 
had a son, who was just the contrary to his father ; he was well- 
informed, sincerely pious, and susceptible of all that was good 
and beautiful. Nothing moved his father, whilst he was affected 
by every thing; and when his father's house was too hot for 
him, he was accustomed to come to me, and tell me all his heart. 
When he was of a sufficient age to marry with decency, his father 
destined him a wife, who had money, and whose father had the 
same sentiments as himself. It did not at all depend upon my 
young friend, whether he would be able to love the girl or not : 
it was sufficient that she was rich, and thought as her parents 
and her future father-in-law did. My friend obeyed ; he married, 
and became the slave of an unfeeling woman, and of avaricious 
parents. 

The young man gave himself all possible trouble to instil pious 
sentiments into his wife : he treated her extremely mildly and 
amiably, and prevented her in every reasonable wish; but he 
perceived no change in her — she continued a frigid and unsus- 
ceptible creature. 

This couple passed thus two years together; the woman was 
then seized with a violent fever, and died, without her husband 
remarking even the slightest change in her, or any desire for her 
eternal salvation. This grieved him deeply, and there arose in 
his soul an unceasing intercession for the salvation of his wife. 
He did not reflect whether this was according to the articles of 



432 NOTES. 

his church; but followed his inward impulse, and continued this 
inward prayer for a whole year. On the anniversary of the day 
on which his wife died, the impulse to pray for her became still 
stronger; he rose early in the morning-, went to a distant and 
gloomy forest, prayed there the whole day with indescribable 
earnestness, and returned home in the evening perfectly tran- 
quillized. 

The next morning he went to his father, in order to inquire 
after his child ; for his wife had left him one that was now about 
a year old. The grandfather had taken charge of it, because he 
had persons about him who could attend to it ; which was not the 
case with the son. 

As soon as the father saw him, he said, with an unwonted 
degree of sympathy, " I will tell you something : your wife 
was yesterday evening with me." The son was struck with 
astonishment, and exclaimed, "What! — father! — my wife!" 
" No other," rejoined the old man; " for, on entering my bed- 
room yesterday evening about 10 o'clock, after undressing my- 
self, I got into bed, and was still sitting up in it, after extinguish- 
ing the light, when the bodily figure of your wife came in at the 
door. She went to the cradle of your child, which was sleeping 
in it, and bent over it awhile ; she then became quite light, so 
that she shone, and afterwards soared away again." This appa- 
rition caused uncommon joy to the young man; he was quite at 
ease in consequence. His father felt astonished ; but this was 
all ; he continued what he was before, — an insensible, worldly- 
minded man — an additional proof that apparitions of spirits pro- 
duce little or no effect on the improvement or conversion of the 
individual. 

Whoever possesses a knowledge of mankind must be convinced 



:notes. 433 

that this apparition was no work of the imagination ; for this old 
man was incapable of such an illusion." 

A similar instance of the efficacy of prayer for departed souls, 
is furnished by our author in the same work, for the year 1811. 
It is as follows : — 

Extract of a Letter from an enlightened and learned divi7ie in the 
north of Germany. 

" I will now, in conclusion, mention to you a very edifying 
story of an apparition, for the truth of which I can vouch, with all 
that is dear to me. My late mother, a pattern of true piety, and 
who was continually engaged in prayer, lost, quite unexpectedly, 
after a short illness, arising from a sore throat, my younger sister, 
a girl of about fourteen years of age. Now, as during* her illness 
she had not spoken much with her on spiritual subjects, by no 
means supposing her end so near (although my father had done 
so), she reproached and grieved herself most profoundly, not only 
on this account, but also for not having sufficiently nursed and 
attended upon her, or for having neglected something that might 
have brought on her death. This feeling took so much hold of 
her, that she not only altered much in her appearance, from loss 
of appetite, but became so monosyllabic in speaking, that she 
never expressed herself, except on being interrogated. She still 
however continued to pray diligently in her chamber. Being 
already grown up at the time, I spoke with my father respecting 
her, and asked him what was to be done, and how my good mo- 
ther might be comforted. He shrugged up his shoulders, and 
gave me to understand, that unless God interposed, he feared the 
worst. Now it happened, that some days after, when we were 
all together, one Sunday morning, at church, with the exception 



434 NOTES. 

of my mother, who remained at home, that on rising up from 
prayer, in her closet, she heard a noise, as though some one was 
with her in the room. On looking about to ascertain whence 
the noise proceeded, something took hold of her invisibly, and 
pressed her firmly to it, as if she had been embraced by some one, 
and the same moment, she heard — without seeing any thing what* 
ever — very distinctly, the voice of her departed daughter, calling 
out quite plainly to her, ' Mamma! Mamma! I am so happy I I am 
so happy!' Immediately after these words, the pressure subsided, 
and my mother felt and heard nothing more. But what a wished- 
for change did we all perceive in our dear mother, on coming 
home ! She had regained her speech and former cheerfulness ; 
she ate and drank, and rejoiced with us at the mercy which the 
Lord had bestowed upon her ; nor during her whole life did she 
ever notice again, with grief, the great loss which she had suffered 
by the decease of this excellent daughter." 

This event took place at Levin, a village belonging to the 
duchy of Mecklenburg, not far from Demmin, in Prussian Pome- 
rania, in the year 1759, the Sunday before Michaelmas. 



Note 10. — In the journal of the Reverend John Wesley, there 
is an account given of an apparition, which in many respects bears 
great similarity to the foregoing, and must be accounted for on 
similar principles. It was related by the gentlewoman herself, 
and is as follows : — 

"About thirty years ago, I was addressed, by way of marriage, 
by Mr. Richard Mercier, then a volunteer in the army. The 
young gentleman was quartered, at that time, in Charleville. 



NOTES. 435 

where my father lived, who approved of his addresses, and directed 
me to look upon him as my future husband . When the regiment 
left the town, he promised to return in two months, and marry 
me. From Charleville he went to Dublin, thence to his father's, 
and from thence to England ; where, his father having bought 
him a cornetcy of horse, he purchased many ornaments for the 
wedding, and returning to Ireland, let us know that he would be 
at our house in Charleville, in a few days. On this, the family 
was busied to prepare for his reception, and the ensuing mar* 
riage; when one night, my sister Mary and I being asleep in our 
bed, I was awakened by the sudden opening of the side curtain, 
and starting up, saw Mr. Mercier standing by the bed-side. He 
was wrapped up in a loose sheet, and had a napkin, folded like a 
night cap, on his head. He looked at me very earnestly, and 
lifting up the napkin, which much shaded his face, showed me 
the left side of his head all bloody, and covered with his brains : 
the room, meantime, was quite light. My terror was excessive, 
which was increased by his stooping over the bed, and embracing 
me in his arms. My cries alarmed the whole family, who came 
crowding into the room. Upon their entrance, he gently with^ 
drew his arms and ascended, as it were, through the ceiling. I 
continued for some time in strong fits. When I could speak, I 
told them what I had seen. One of them, a day or two after, 
going to the postmaster for letters, found him reading the news- 
papers, in which was an account, that Cornet Mercier, going 
into Christchurch belfry, in Dublin, just after the bells had been 
ringing, and standing under the bells > one of them, which was 
turned bottom upwards, suddenly turned again, struck one side of 
his head, and killed him on the spot. On further inquiry, we 
found he was struck on the left side of his head." 



436 NOTES. 

Note 11. — The view which our author gives of apparitions from 
the invisible world, has in many points a striking resemblance to 
the sentiments which the Marquis de Marsay, a pious French 
protestant writer, whose works were published about the year 
1735, expresses on this subject. He writes as follows : — 

" I believe that there are three kind of spirits, which return to 
this world after the death of their bodies. The spirits of such as 
are in a state of condemnation, and which are in a very miserable 
condition, hover about and haunt the places where they have com- 
mitted their evil deeds and iniquities. They remain at these 
places by divine permission, and do all the evil they can, whilst 
at the same time they suffer intolerable torments, and are very 
malignant. Some of this kind of spirits occasionally make them- 
selves visible, which was the case only a short time ago. For a 
pious clergyman wrote from the place, where he is still a mi- 
nister, that a man, whom he himself had baptized, and who, after 
leading a wicked life, threw himself into a well, and drowned 
himself, having previously thrown his dog into it, had thus 
shewn himself. This event happened in the Palatinate, just 
when the French troops were at the place ; who shortly after the 
death of this man, (whose body had been drawn up out of the 
well, and buried in another place,) placed a sentinel near the well. 
It so happened, in the night, the sentinel saw the figure of a man 
at this well ; he called out, ' Who's there 1 ' but receiving no 
answer, he fired at the figure, but without effect ; on which the 
sentinel ran upon the man with his drawn sword, but he vanished 
away. This event occasioned a great noise in the village, and 
the man was afterwards seen several times at the well," 

•f The second kind of spirits are those which roam about, be- 
cause they seek to free themselves from their state of purification, 



NOTES. 437 

by other means than by resignation to Divine justice ; hence they 
seek help from those that fear God, and in so doing, withdraw 
themselves from the Divine order. One of this kind of spirits 
shewed itself to me, in a very evident manner; but after I had 
directed it to Jesus Christ, its Saviour and Redeemer, it re- 
turned no more. These are not evil spirits, but such as are still 
in their self-will, and therefore refuse to yield to the Divine 
order, by voluntarily submitting- to the punishment imposed upon 
them, even as those mistaken souls do in this life, whom God 
conducts into the path of obscure faith, and into the trials and 
afflictions which accompany purification, to which they will not 
submit, and seek, though fruitlessly, other aid, instead of resign- 
ing themselves to God, and patiently and submissively enduring 
all that afflicts them. But because they will not act thus, they 
are out of the Divine order, by which means they only prolong 
and increase their sufferings, and make their purification so much 
the more difficult and painful." 

" The third kind of spirits, or rather souls that re-appear, are 
those, whose punishment is to be at some certain place in this 
world, because they have satisfied their passions in that place, 
and lived according to their lusts in an idolatrous manner ; for 
that which now causes a man lust and pleasure, must hereafter 
serve as his pain and punishment. Of this we have several in- 
stances. Amongst others, that of a pious man, who after his death, 
appeared to his daughter, who was likewise a pious person, and 
after conversing with her some time on his state, he began to 
turn pale, to tremble, and be much distressed ; and said to his 
daughter, that the time was now arrived, when he must go and 
remain for a time in his grave, with his putrifying and corrupting 
corpse ; and that this happened to him every day, because in his 
2g 



life-time, he had had too much affection and tenderness for his 
body." 

In a later work of our author's, already referred to, (Pocket 
Book for the Friends of Religion, for 1814,) he inserts a letter, 
containing a similarly striking occurrence ; which he premises by 
saying, that he is acquainted with the whole family of the writer, 
parents and children, and touches for the truth of the narrative, 
in so far as the account given by a heart that loves God and the 
truth can be trusted and confided in. The letter is as follows : — 

"My brother, J.' H. C, was placed by a certain reigning 
prince, as doctor of medicine in A — , and on account of his pecu- 
liar abilities, the title of Aulic counsellor was at the same time 
conferred upon him. He resided there about four years, towards the 
close of which, he resolved, at the request of my late father, to 
return to H — , in order to be of service to him, as well as to the 
rest of his family. We ardently looked for his arrival for some 
weeks, but in vain. During this state of hopeful expectation of 
soon being able to embrace my brother, I dreamed, one night, a 
short time before Christmas, that I saw my brother on horseback' 
who said to me, that he was on a journey; he would therefore 
give me several commissions to my parents. I observed that his 
expression of countenance appeared very strange, and asked him 
why he looked so blue-black in the face? on which he made 
answer, that it was occasioned by the new cloak he had put on, 
which was dyed with indigo. On this, he reached me his hand, 
but whilst giving him mine, his horse began to plunge, which 
terrified me, and I awoke. Not long after awaking, the door of 
my room opened, some one came to my bed-side, and drew aside 
the curtains, when I perceived the natural figure of my brother 
in his night-gown. After standing there a few minutes, he went 



NOTES. 439 

to the table, took up the snuffers, and let them fall, and then shut 
the room door again. Fear, apprehension, and terror overpowered 
me to such a degree, that I could not stay in bed any longer. I 
begged my eldest sister, who also witnessed this scene, to accom- 
pany me to my parents. On entering the chamber of the latter, 
my father was astonished, and asked me the reason of my nocturnal 
coming. I besought him to spare me with the answer till 
the morrow, and only permit me to pass the night in his room, to 
which he assented. As soon as I awoke in the morning, I was 
called upon by my parents to relate what had happened, which 
my eldest sister confirmed. The circumstance seemed so remark- 
able to my father, who, as is well known, is by no means super- 
stitious, that he noted down the night and the hour. About three 
weeks after, my father received the melancholy intelligence of my 
brother's decease; when it appeared, that he had died the 
same night, and the same hour, of an epidemic disorder, in which 
he had been suffocated, and his face had become quite black. In 
the last days of his illness, he had spoken continually of his family, 
and had wished for nothing more ardently, than to be able to 
speak once more with me." 
5 ., 24th July, 1811. 



Note 12. — To illustrate and confirm the various relations and 
statements given by our author respecting apparitions from the 
invisible world, we subjoin a most remarkable account of a de- 
veloped faculty of presentiment, extracted from the journal of the 
Rev. John Wesley, who has premised it with a few remarks, 
which manifest a striking coincidence with the views and senti- 
ments expressed by our author. 

2 g 2 



440 NOTES, 

" 25th May, 1768. — Being at Sunderland, I took down, from 
one who had feared God from her infancy, one of the strangest 
accounts I ever read ; and yet I can find no pretence to disbelieve 
it. The well-known character of the person excludes all sus- 
picion of fraud, and the nature of the circumstances themselves, 
excludes the possibility of a delusion. 

It is true there are several of them I do not comprehend, but 
this is with me a very slender objection ; for what is it which I 
do comprehend, even of things which I see daily 1 Truly not 
' the smallest grain of sand or spire of grass.' I know not how 
the one grows, nor how the particles of the other adhere together. 
What pretence have I then to deny well-attested facts, because I 
cannot comprehend them ? 

It is true, likewise, that the English in general, and indeed 
most of the men of learning in Europe, have given up all accounts 
of witches and apparitions, as mere old wives' fables. I am sorry 
for it ; and I willingly take this opportunity of entering my so- 
lemn protest against this violent compliment, which so many that 
believe the Bible, pay to those who do not believe it. I owe 
them no such service. I take knowledge that these are at the 
bottom of the outcry which has been raised, and with such in- 
solence spread throughout the nation, in direct opposition, not 
only to the Bible, but to the suffrages of the wisest and best of 
men in all ages and nations. They well know, (whether Christians 
know it or not,) that the giving up of witchcraft* is, in effect, giving 
up the Bible ; and they know, on the other hand, that if but one 
aceountofthe intercourse of men with separate spirits be admitted , their 
whole castle in the air (Deism, Atheism, Materialism, ) falls to the 
ground. I know no reason, therefore, why we should suffer even 
* The operation of malignant or infernal influence. 



NOTES. 441 

this weapon to be wrested out of our hands. Indeed, there are nu- 
merous arguments besides, which abundantly confute their vain 
imaginations, but we need not be hooted out of one ; neither 
reason nor religion requires this. 

One of the capital objections to all these accounts, which I 
have known urged over and over, is this : — ' Did you ever see an 
apparition yourself?' No, nor did I ever see a murder, yet I be- 
lieve there is such a thing ; yea, and that in one place or another, 
murder is committed every day. Therefore I cannot, as a reason- 
able man, deny the fact, although I never saw it, and perhaps 
never may. The testimony of unexceptionable witnesses fully 
convinces me, both of the one and the other. 

Elizabeth Hobson was born in Sunderland, in the year 1744. 
Her father dying when she was three or four years old, her uncle, 
Thomas Rea, a pious man, brought her up as his own daughter. 
She was serious from a child, and grew up in the fear of God. 
Yet she had deep and sharp convictions of sin, till she was about 
sixteen years of age, when she found peace with God, and from 
that time, the whole tenor of her behaviour was suitable to her 
profession. 

On Wednesday, May 25th, 1768, and the three following- 
days, I talked with her at large ; but it was with great difficulty I 
prevailed on her to speak. The substance of what she said was 
as follows : — 

" From my childhood, when any of our neighbours died, whe- 
ther men, women, or children, I used to see them, either just 
when they died, or a little before ; nor was I at all afraid, it was 
so common. Indeed, many times I did not then know they were 
dead. I saw many of them by day, many by night. Those that 
came when it was dark, brought light with them. I observed 
little children and many grown persons had a bright, glorious 



442 xotes. 

light round them ; but many had a gloomy, dismal light, and a 
dusky cloud over them. 

"When I told my uncle this, he did not seem to be at all sur- 
prised at it, but several times said, 'Be not afraid, only take care 
to fear and serve God; as long as he is on your side, none will be 
able to hurt you.' At other times he said, — dropping a word now 
and then, but seldom answering me any questions about it, — ' Evil 
spirits very seldom appear but between eleven at night and two 
in the morning; but after they have appeared to the person a 
year, they frequently [come in the day time. Whatever spirits, 
good or bad, come in the day, they come at sunrise, at noon, and 
at sunset.' 

" When I was between twelve and thirteen, my uncle had a 
lodger, who was a very wicked man. One night, I was sitting in 
my chamber, about half an hour after ten, having by accident put 
out my candle, when he came in all over in a flame. I cried out, 
' William, why do you come in so to fright me V He said nothing, 
but went away. I went after him into his room, but found he 
was fast asleep in bed; a day or two after he fell ill; and within 
the week, died in raging despair. 

"I was between fourteen and fifteen, when I went very early 
one morning to fetch up the kine. I had two fields to cross into 
a low ground, which was said to be haunted. Many persons had 
been frighted there, and I had myself often seen men and women, 
(so many at times, that they are out of count,) go just by me, and 
vanish away. This morning, as I came towards it, I heard a 
confused noise, as of many people quarrelling : but I did not mind 
it, and went on till I came near the gate. I then saw on the 
other side, a young man, dressed in purple, who said, 'It is too 
early; go back from whence you came, and the Lord be with you, 
and bless you :' and presently he was gone. 



NOTES, 443 

%< When I was about sixteen, my uncle fell ill, and grew worse 
and worse for three months. One day, having been sent out on 
an errand, I was coming home through a lane, when I saw him in 
the field, coming swiftly towards me. I ran to meet him, but he 
was gone. When I came home, I found him calling for me. As 
soon as I came to his bed-side, he clasped his arms round my neck, 
and bursting into tears, earnestly exhorted me to continue in the 
ways of God, kept his hold, till he sunk down and died ; and 
even then they could hardly unclasp his fingers. I would fain 
have died with him, and wished to be buried with him, dead 
or alive. 

" From that time, I was crying from morning till night, and 
praying that I might see him. I grew weaker and weaker, till 
one morning, about one o'clock, as I was lying, crying as usual, 
I heard some noise, and rising up, saw him come to the bedside. 
He looked much displeased, shook his head at me, and in a minute 
or two went away. 

i( About a week after, I took to my bed, and grew worse and 
worse, till in six or seven days my life was despaired of. Then 
about eleven at night, my uncle came in, looked well pleased, 
and sat down on the bed-side. He came every night after, at the 
same hour, and stayed till cock-crowing. I was exceeding glad, 
and kept my eyes fixed on him all the time he stayed. If I 
wanted drink, or any thing, though I did not speak or stir, he 
fetched it, and set it on the chair by the bed-side. Indeed I could 
not speak. Many times I strove, but could not move my tongue. 
Every morning, when he went away, he waved his hand to 
me, and I heard delightful music, as if many persons were singing 
together. 

" In about six weeks I grew better. I was then musing one 



444 NOTES. 

night, whether I did well in desiring he might come, and I was 
praying* that God would do his own will, when he came in, and 
stood by the bed-side. But he was not in his usual dress j he had 
on a white robe, which reached down to his feet. He looked 
quite well pleased. About one, there stood by him a person in 
white, taller than he, and exceedingly beautiful. He came with 
the singing as of many voices, and continued till near cock-crowing. 
Then my uncle smiled, and waved his hand towards me twice or 
thrice. They went away with inexpressibly sweet music, and I 
saw him no more. 

" In a year after this, a young man courted me, and in some 
months we agreed to be married. But he purposed to take ano- 
ther voyage nrst, and one evening went on board his ship. About 
eleven o'clock, going out to look for my mother, I saw him 
standing at his mother's door, with his hands in his pockets, and 
his hat pulled over his eyes. I went to him, and stretched out 
my hand to put up his hat, but he went swiftly by me, and I saw 
the wall, on the other side of the lane, part, as he went through, 
and then immediately close after him. At ten the next morning, 
he died. 

'* A few days after, John Simpson, one of our neighbours, a 
man that truly feared God, and one with whom I was particularly 
acquainted, went to sea, as usual. He sailed out on a Tuesday. 
The Friday night following, between eleven and twelve o'clock, 
I heard one walking in my room, and every step sounded as if he 
was stepping in water. He then came to the bed-side in his sea 
jacket, all wet, and stretched his hand over me. Three drops of 
water fell on my breast, and felt as cold as ice. I strove to wake 
his wife, who lay with me ; but I could not, any more than if she 
was dead. Afterwards I heard that he was cast away that night. 



NOTES. 445 

In less than a minute he went away : but he came to me every 
night, for six or seven nights following, between eleven and two. 
Before he came, and when he went away, I always heard sweet 
music. Afterwards he came both day and night; every night 
about twelve, with the music at his coming and going ; and every 
day at sunrise, noon, and sunset. He came — whatever company 
I was in — at church, in the preaching-house, at my class; and 
was alw r ays just before me, changing his posture as I changed 
mine. When I sat, he sat ; when I kneeled, he kneeled ; when I 
stood, he stood likewise. I would fain have spoken to him, but 
I could not : when I tried, my heart sunk within me. Mean time 
it affected me more and more ; so that I, lost both my appetite, 
my colour, and my strength. This continued ten weeks, while I 
pined away, not daring to tell any one. At last he came four or 
five nights without any music, and looked exceeding sad. On the 
fifth night, he drew the curtains of the bed violently to and fro, 
still looking wistfully at me, and as one quite distressed. This 
he did two nights. On the third, I lay down about eleven, on 
the side of the bed. I quickly saw him walking up and down the 
room. Being resolved to speak to him, but unwilling any should 
hear, I rose and went up into the garret. When I opened the door, 
I saw him walking towards me, and shrunk back ; on which he 
stopped and stood at a distance. I said, ' In the name of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, what is your business with meV 
He answered, ' Betsy, God forgive you for keeping me so long 
from my rest. Have you forgot what you promised before I went 
to sea — to look to my children if I was drowned 1 You must stand 
to your word, or I cannot rest/ I said, f I wish I was dead/ He 
said, ' Say not so ; you have more to go through before then : and 
yet, if you knew as much as I do, you would not care how soon 



446 XOTES. 

you died. You may bring the children on in their learning while 
they live : they have but a short time.' I said, ' I will take all 
the care I can.' He added, < Your brother has wrote for you to 
come to Jamaica ; but if you go, it will hurt your soul. You have 
also thoughts of altering your condition; but if you marry him 
you think of, it will draw you from God, and you will neither be 
happy here nor hereafter. Keep close to God, and go on in the way 
wherein you have been brought up/ I asked, 'How do you spend 
your time V He answered, ' In songs of praise. But of this you 
will know more by and by ; for where I am, you will surely be. 
I have lost much happiness in coming to you : and I should not 
have stayed so long without using other means to make you 
speak, but the Lord would not suffer me to fright you. Have you 
any thing more to say? It draws near two, and after that I can- 
not stay. I shall come to you twice more before the death of my 
two children. God bless you V Immediately I heard such sing- 
ing, as if a thousand voices joined together. He then went down 
stairs, and I followed him to the first landing. He smiled ; and 
I said, ' I desire you will come back/ He stood still till I came 
to him. I asked him one or two questions, which he immediately 
answered, but added, ■ I wish you had not called me back; for 
now I must take something from you/ He paused a little, and 
said, ' I think you can best part with the hearing of your left ear/ 
He laid his hand upon it, and in the instant, it was as deaf as a 
stone ; and it was several years before I recovered the least hear- 
ing of it. The cock crowed as he went out of the door, and then 
the music ceased. The elder of his children died at about three 
and a half; the younger before he was five years old. He ap- 
peared before the death of each, but without speaking. After 
that, I saw him no more. 



NOTES. 447 

" A little before Michaelmas, 1763, my brother George, who 
was a good young man, went to sea. The day after Michaelmas 
day, about midnight, I saw him standing by my bed-side, sur- 
rounded with a glorious light, and looking earnestly at me. He 
was wet all over. That night, the ship in which he sailed split 
upon a rock, and all the crew were drowned. 

u On April 9, 1767, about midnight, I was lying awake, and I 
saw my brother John standing by my bed-side. Just at that time 
he died in Jamaica. 

fi By 'his death I became intitled to a house in Sunderland, 
which was left us by my grandfather, John Hobson, an exceeding- 
wicked man, who was drowned fourteen years ago. I employed 
an attorney to recover it from my aunt, who kept possession of 
it ; but finding more difficulty than I expected, in the beginning 
of December I gave it up. Three or four nights after, as I rose 
from prayer, a little before eleven, I saw him standing at a small 
distance. I cried out, * Lord bless me ! what brings you here V 
He answered, ' You have given up the house : Mr. Parker advised 
you so to do ; but if you do, I shall have no rest. Indeed, Mr. 
Dunn, whom you have employed, will do nothing for you. Go 
to Durham ; employ an attorney there, and it will be recovered.' 
His voice was loud, and so hollow and deep, that every word 
went through me. His lips did not move at all, nor his eyes, but 
the sound seemed to rise out of the floor. When he had done 
speaking, he turned about, and walked out of the room. 
• " In January, as I was sitting on the bed-side, a quarter before 
twelve, he came in, stood before me, looked earnestly at me, then 
walked up and down, and stood and looked again. This he did 
for half an hour, and thus he came every other night for about 
three weeks. All this time he seemed angry, and sometimes his 



448 NOTES. 

look was quite horrid and furious. One night I was sitting up 
in bed, crying, when he came and began to pull off the clothes. 
I strove to touch his hand, but could not, on which he shrunk 
back, and smiled. 

" The next night but one, about twelve, I was again sitting 
up and crying, when he came and stood at the bed-side. As I 
was looking for a handkerchief, he walked to the table, took one 
up, brought and dropped it upon the bed. After this, he came 
three or four nights, and pulled the clothes off, throwing them on 
the other side of the bed. 

" Two nights after, he came as I was sitting on the bed-side, 
and after walking to and fro, snatched the handkerchief from my 
neck : I fell into a swoon. When I came to myself, he was stand- 
ing just before me; presently he came close to me, dropped it on 
the bed, and went away. 

V Having had a long illness the year before, having taken 
much cold by his frequent pulling off the clothes, and being 
worn out by these appearances, I was now mostly confined to my 
bed. The next night, soon after eleven, he came again. I asked, 
* In God's name, why do you torment me thus 1 you know it is 
impossible for me to go to Durham now. But I have a fear that 
you are not happy, and beg to know whether you are or not?' 
He answered, after a little pause, ' That is a bold question for 
you to ask. So far as you knew me to do amiss in my lifetime, 
do you take care to do better.' I said, ' It is a shocking affair to 
live and die after that manner.' He replied, ' It is no time for 
reflection now; what is done cannot be undone.' I said, 'it 
must be a great happiness to die in the Lord.' He said, ' Hold 
your tongue ! hold your tongue ! At your peril never mention 
such a word before me again.' I was frightened, and strove to 



NOTES. 449 

lift up my heart to God. He gave a shriek, and sunk down &t 
three times, with a loud groan at each time. Just as he disap- 
peared, there was a large flash of fire, and I fainted away. 

" Three days after, I went to Durham, and put the affair into 
Mr. Hugill, the attorney's hands. The next night, about one, 
he came in, but on taking up the Bible, he went away. A month 
after, he came about eleven. I said, ' Lord bless me ! what has 
brought you here again V He said, ' Mr. Hugill has done no- 
thing, but wrote one letter : you must write, or go to Durham 
again : it may be decided in a few days/ I asked, ' Why do you 
not go to my aunts, who keep me out of itl' He answered, ' I 
have no power to go to them, and they cannot bear it. If I could, 
I would go to them, were it only to warn them : for I doubt where 
I am, I shall get too many to bear me company/ He added* 
— -' Take care ! there is mischief laid in Peggy's (her aunt's) 
hands ; she will strive to meet you coming from the class. I do 
not speak to hinder you from going to it, but that you may be 
cautious. Let some one go with you, and come back with you, 
though whether you will escape or no, I cannot tell.' I said, 
« She can do no more than God will let her.' He answered, 'We 
have all too little to do with him : mention that word no more. 
As soon as this is decided, meet me at Boyldon Hill, (about half 
a mile from the town,) between twelve and one at night.' I said, 
' That is a lone place for a woman to go to at that time of night. 
I am willing to meet you at the Ballast Hills or in the church- 
yard.' He said, 'That will not do ; but what are you afraid of?' 
I answered, ' I am not afraid of you, but of rude men.' He said, 
' I will set you safe, both thither and back again.' I asked, 
< may I not bring a minister with me V He replied, ' Are you 
thereabouts? I will not be seen by any but you. You have 



450 NOTES. 

plagued me sore enough already : if you bring any one with 
you, take what follows.' 

*' From this time he appeared every night, between eleven and 
two. If I put out the fire and candle, in hopes I should not see 
him, it did not avail ; for as soon as he came, all the room was 
light, but with a dismal light, like that of flaming brimstone ; but 
whenever I took up the Bible or kneeled down, yea, or prayed in 
my heart, he was gone. 

" On Thursday, May 12th, he came about eleven, as I was 
sitting by the fire. I asked, ' In God's name, what do you 
want?' He said, 'You must either go or write to Durham : I 
cannot stay from you till this is decided, and I cannot stay 
where I am.' When he went away, I fell into a violent passion 
of crying, seeing no end to my trouble. In this agony I con- 
tinued till after one, and then fell into a fit. About two I came 
to myself, and saw standing at the bed-side, one in a white robe, 
which reached down to his feet. I cried, ' In the name of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.' He said, ' The Lord is with you; 
I am come to comfort you. What cause have you to complain 
and murmur thus for your friends 1 Pray for them, and leave 
them to God. Arise and pray.' I said, ' I can pray none.' He 
said, ' But God will help you : only keep close to God ; you are 
backwards likewise in praying with others, and afraid to receive 
the Lord's supper. Break through that backwardness and that 
fear. The Lord bless you, and be ever with you !' As he went 
away, I heard many voices singing hallelujah, with such me- 
lody as I never heard before. All my trouble was gone, and 
I wanted nothing but to fly away with them. 

"Saturday, 28th. — About twelve, my grandfather stood at my 
bed-side. I said, * In God's name, what do you want?' He said, 



NOTES. 451 

' You do not make an end of this thing : get it decided as soon 
as possible. My coming is as uneasy to myself as it can be to 
you.' Before he came, there was a strong smell of burning, and 
the room was fall of smoke, which got into my eyes, and almost 
blinded me for some time after. 

" Wednesday, 21st June. — About sunset, I was coming up 
stairs at Mr. Knot's, and I saw him coming towards me out of the 
opposite room. He went close by me on the stair-head. Before 
I saw him, I smelt a strong smell of burning, and so did Miss 
Hasmer. It got into my throat, and almost stifled me. I sat 
down and fainted away . 

" On Friday, July 3, I was sitting at dinner, when I thought 
I heard one come along the passage. I looked about, and saw 
my aunt, Margaret Scot, of Newcastle, standing at my back. On 
Saturday I had a letter, informing me that she died on that 
day." 

Thus far Elizabeth Hobson. 

On Sunday, July 10, I received the following letter from a 
friend, to whom I had recommended her : — 

" Sunderland, 6th July, 1768. 
" I wrote you word before, that Elizabeth Hobson was put 
into possession of the house. The same night, her old visitant, 
who had not troubled her for some time, came again, and said, 
1 You must meet me at Boyldon Hill, on Thursday night, a little 
before twelve. You will see many appearances, who will call 
you to come to them ; but do not stir, neither give them any 
answer. A quarter before twelve, I shall come and call you, but 
still do not answer nor stir/ She said, < It is a hardship upon 
me, for you to desire me to meet you there. Why cannot you 
take your leave now V He answered, * It is for your good, that 



452 NOTES. 

I desire it. I can take my leave of you now ; but if I do, I must 
take something from you, which you would not like to part with.' 
She said, 'May not a few friends come with me?' He said., 
' They may; but they must not be present when I come.' 

" That night, twelve of us met at Mr. Davison's, (about a 
quarter of a mile from the hill,) and spent some time in prayer. 
God was with us of a truth. Then six of us went with her to 
the place, leaving the rest to pray for us. We came thither a 
little before twelve, and then stood at a small distance from her. 
It being a fine night, we kept her in our sight, and spent the 
time in prayer. She stood there till a few minutes after one* 
When we saw her move, we went to meet her. She said, 
' Thank God, it is all over and done ! I found every thing as he 
told me. I saw many appearances, who called me to them, but I 
did not answer nor stir. Then he came and called me at a dis- 
tance, but I took no notice ; soon after he came up to me, and 
said, ' You are come well fortified. " He then gave her the 
reasons why he requested her to meet him at that place, and why 
he could take his leave there, and not in the house, without 
taking something from her. But withal, he charged her to tell 
this to no one, adding, ' If you disclose this to any creature, I 
shall be under the necessity of troubling you as long as you 
live; if you do not, I shall never trouble you, nor see you any 
more, either in time or eternity.' He then bade her farewell, 
waved his hand, and disappeared." 



It would be easy to multiply well-authenticated instances of 
apparitions from the invisible world, which have occurred in our 



NOTES. 45S 

own country ; but as those which have been already adduced are 
sufficient to confirm and establish the theory laid down in this 
work, we will only add the following : — 

Extract of a Letter from Mr. James Hamilton. 

Dunbar, 26th May, 1784. 

The servant of Dr. Menzie, physician at Dumfries, in Scot- 
land, told his master and many others, that the Laird of Cool, 
lately dead, appeared to him, rode him down, and killed his 
horse ; that he appointed him to meet him some time after, at 
such a place, which he promised to do. But Mr. Paton, then 
minister of Dumfries, advised him to break that promise. 

Mr. Ogilvie, then minister at Innerwick, near Dunbar, on 
hearing this, blamed Mr. Paton much; saying, " Had he been 
there, he would not only have advised him to keep his promise, 
but would have gone with him/ ' The ensuing relation of what 
followed, written in Mr. Ogilvie's own hand, was found in his 
desk, after his death, by Mrs. Ogilvie. She gave it to Mr. 
Lundie, now minister of Oldhamstocks, who gave it to me. 

James Hamilton. 

The following is transcribed from Mr. Lundie's copy : — 
" On February 3, 1772, at seven o'clock at night, as I was 
coming up the burial-road, one came riding up after me. Look- 
ing back, I called out, * Who is there V He answered, ' The 
Laird of Cool.' Thinking it was some one who wanted to put a 
trick upon me, I struck at him with my cane. It found no re- 
sistance, but flew out of my hand, to the distance of about 
twenty yards. I alighted and took it up, but found some diffi- 
culty in mounting, partly by the ramping of my horse, and 
partly by a trembling, which ran through my joints. He stopped 
2 H 



454 notes. 

till I came up to him again, and I said, ' If you are the Laird of 
Cool, what is your business with me?' He answered, ' You 
have undertaken what few in Ridsdale would.' I asked in sur- 
prise, ' What have I undertaken V He answered, « Last Sab- 
bath, you blamed Mr. Paton for advising the young man not 
to keep -his promise, and said, you would be williug to go with 
him yourself/ 

Ogilvie. Who informed vou that I said so 1 
Cool. We that are dead, know many things that the living know 
nothing about. All I want is, that you will fulfil your promise, 
and deliver my commissions to my wife. 

Ogilvie. Did I say I would go all the way to Dumfries upon 
such an errand ? It never entered into my thoughts. 

Cool. What jwas in your thoughts I do not know ; but I can 
depend upon my information, that these were your words. But I 
see you are in some disorder ; I will wait upon you again, when 
you have more presence of mind. 

By this time we were come below the churchyard, and while 
I was considering whether I had promised or no, he broke from 
me through the churchyard, with amazing violence, and with such 
a whizzing noise, as put me into more disorder than before. 
When I came to my house, my wife, seeing me very pale, inquired 
what ailed me. I told her I was a little uneasy, and desired some- 
thing to drink. Being thereby eased and refreshed, I retired to 
my closet, to meditate on this astonishing adventure. 

On the 5th of March, 1772, as I was riding about sunset, near 
William White's marsh, the Laird of Cool came riding up to me 
again, and said, " Be not afraid; I will do you no harm." I re- 
plied, "lam not in the least afraid, for I know that He in whom 
I trust, is stronger than all of you put together." 



notes. 455 

Cool, You are safe from me, as when I was alive. 

Ogilvie. Then let us have a free conversation together, and give 
me some information about the other world. 

Cool. What information do you want from me? 

Ogilvie. Are you in a state of happiness, or not 1 

Cool. That is a question I will not answer. Ask something 
else. 

Ogilvie. I ask, then, what sort of a body is that you appear iu I 

Cool. It is not the same body wherein I was witness to your 
marriage, nor that in which I died : that is rotting in the grave ; 
but it is such a body as answers me in a moment. I can fly as 
fast in this body as without it. If I would go to London, to 
Jerusalem, or to the moon, I can perform those journeys equally 
soon; for it costs me nothing but a thought. This body is just 
as fleet as your thought. In the same time you can turn your 
thoughts to Rome, I can go there in person. 

Ogilvie. But tell me, have you not yet appeared before God c 
and received sentence from him as a judge ? 

Cool. Never yet. 

Ogilvie. It is commonly believed, there is a particular judg- 
ment immediately after death, and a general one at the last day. 

Cool. No such thing, no such thing. There is no trial, no 
sentence, till the last day. The heaven good men enjoy imme- 
diately after death, consists in the serenity of their minds, the 
satisfaction of a good conscience, and the certain hope of glory 
everlasting. The hell which the wicked suffer immediately after 
death, consists in their wickedness, in the sting of an awakened 
conscience, the terror of facing the great Judge, and of everlasting 
torments. And their misery, when dead, bears a due proportion 
to the evil they did when living- : bat some of these, although not 



456 NOTES. 

good, were far less wicked than others, and so are far less mi- 
serable. And on the other hand, some were not wicked in this 
life, yet had but a small degree of goodness ; and their faces are 
not more various in life, than their circumstances are after death. 

Ogilvie. To pass this, there is another question I want to ask. 
How came you to know what I said to Mr. Paton ? Were you 
with us, though invisible ? 

Cool. I was not. But you must know, that not only angels are 
continually sent from heaven to guard and comfort good men, but 
also the spirits of holy men are employed on the same errand. 

Ogilvie. But has every man his guardian angel ? 

Cool, Not every man, but many particular men have ; and 
there are few families but have one attending them. From what 
you have heard of spirits, you may easily conceive how one may 
be serviceable to each member of the family, even when far dis- 
tant from each other. Yea, one powerful angel or departed spirit 
is sufficient for some villages ; but to a great city, many angels or 
departed spirits are assigned, who are superintended by one great 
angel. Now Satan, in the government of his kingdom, apes the 
kingdom of Christ as much as possible. Accordingly, he sends out 
missionaries too ; but because he has plenty of them, he fre- 
quently commissions two or three to attend one family, if it be of 
great power or influence. 

Ogilvie. I cannot understand how the evil angels should be 
more numerous than the good ones. 

Cool. Whatever the number of devils be, it is certain the num- 
ber of wicked spirits departed, who are employed on this errand, 
is abundantly greater than that of the good ones. And there is 
as great a difference between the good and bad spirits, as there is 
between the good and bad angels, both with regard to their 



NOTES. 45? 

knowledge, activity, strength, and faculties. Yea, some departed 
souls exceed some of the original angels in all these respects. 
Now both the good and evil angels have stated times of rendez- 
vous, at which the principal angels (good and bad) that have the 
charge of towns, cities, or kingdoms, (not to mention villages 
or individuals,) hear all that is transacted. Many things 
false are related among the living, but nothing among the dead. 
Indeed, an evil spirit would not scruple telling a falsehood, if 
he could gain any thing by it; but he cannot. Nay, in making 
his report he must tell nothing but the truth, or woe be to 
him ! But besides their monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings, 
departed spirits may take a trip to see each other when they 
please. Three of these informed me of what you said: Andrew 
Akeman, that attends Mr. Thurston's family, James Corbett, that 
waits on Mr. Papon's family, and was looking after Mrs. Paton, 
when she was at your house, and an original emissary appointed 
to wait on yours. 

At this I was much surprised, and after a little reflection, I asked, 
" And is there an emissary from hell, that attends my family?" 

Cool. You may depend upon it there is. 

Ogilvie. And what is his business? 

Cool. To divert you from your duty, and make you do as many 
ill things as he can ; for much depends on having the minister on 
his side. 

On this I was struck with a horror I cannot express, but after 
a time recollecting myself, I said < ; But is there a devil that 
attends our family, though invisibly? " 

Cool. As sure as you breathe. But there is also a good angel 
that attends your family, and is stronger than he. 

Ogilvie. Are you sure of this? 



458 NOTES. 

Cooh Yes, and there is one just now riding* on your right 
arm. But he might have been elsewhere, for I meant you 
no harm. 

Ogilvie. How long has he been with me ] 

Cool. Only since we passed Branskie ; but now he is gone. 

Ogilvie. I desire now to part with you, and to see you another 
time. 

Cool. Be it so. I want your help of another kind. Now I bid 
you farewell. So saying, he went off, at the head of the path 
going to Elmsclough. 

On April 5th, 1772, as I was returning from Oldhamstocks, 
Cool struck up with me at the ruinous inclosure. I said to him- 
I am glad to see you; what are now your demands upon me? 

CooL All I desire is, that you will go to my wife, who possesses 
all my effects, and inform her of the following particulars : — First. 
I owed Provost Crosby ^500 Scots, with three years' interest. 
On his death, my brother and I forged a discharge, and when his 
heir wrote to me concerning this bond, I shewed him the dis- 
charge and silenced him. Second, when I heard of Robert 
Kennedy's death, I forged a bill of ,£190 sterling, which was 
paid me. Third, when Thomas Greor died, I owed him <£36* 
sterling; I met with a poor lad, a writer, whom I told I had paid 
Thomas Greor's account, but I had not a receipt, which I desired 
he would write for me. He flew into a passion, and said, he 
would rather be hanged. I said, nay, I was but in jest; and 
desired he would never mention it to any. Fourth, I sent for 
your brother, who did all I desired for a guinea, and for a guinea 
and a half more, gave me a discharge for £200 more, (Scots,) 
which I owed your father-in-law. But what vexes me more than 
ill the rest, is the injustice I did to Homer Maxwell, for whom I 



NOTES. 459 

was factor. I had borrowed 2000 marks from him, 200 of which 
he had borrowed from another. For this I gave him my bond. He 
died that year, leaving nine children. His wife died a month be- 
fore him. His eldest daughter desired me to look over the papers, 
and to give her an account of their stock and debts. I slipped his 
bond into my pocket, whereby his circumstances proved bad, and 
the nine children are all starving. These things I beg you will 
represent to my wife, and let them be rectified. She has funds 
sufiicient. If this be done, I think I shall be easier. 

After a short pause, I answered, "It is a good errand you 
would send me on, to do justice to the oppressed, and I might be 
a gainer myself; yet I beg a little, to consider on the matter' 
You need not bid me take courage : for though I see what your 
state is, I am no more afraid of you than of a new-born child. 
Tell me, then, since your agility is such, that in the twinkling of 
an eye you can fly a thousand miles, why cannot you fly to your 
wife, empty her bags into your hat invisibly, and do these people 
justice?" 

Cool. I cannot. 

Ogilvie. But you say, if these things were rectified, you should 
be easier. I cannot understand that; for whatever justice be now 
done to the people, the guilt of the injustice still lies upon you. 
But whv cannot vou take money to pay your debts ? 

Cool. I cannot touch any man's money, by reason of those who 
are the stated guardians of justice. 

Ogilvie. Nay, but do not men take the money of others con- 
tinually'? and cannot you do it, that can put yourself into a hun- 
dred shapes? 

Cool. God will not suffer us to injure men; and indeed, men 
may guard themselves against men, but not against spirits. Were 
not these restrained, nothing that a man had would be safe. 



460 NOTES. 

Ogilvie. But might you not go to the mines of Mexico, where 
there is gold enough that would never be missed 1 

Cool. No spirits, good or bad, have any power to touch money 
or gold. 

Ogilvie. But what hinders bad spirits from doing hi 

Cool. A superior power, that guards and governs all. 

Ogilvie. But why cannot you go to your wife yourself, and tell 
her what you have on your mind ? 

Cool. That is one of the questions I will not answer. But i£ 
you will go, I will make you full satisfaction for your trouble. 

On the 10th of April, coming from Old Cambus, I met him 
again upon the post-road, on the head of the heath called the Pees- 
He asked whether I had considered the matter ? I said to him, 
" I have, and am of the same opinion still. For what a fool should 
I make of myself, if I were to go to Dumfries, and tell your wife 
that you had appeared to me, and told me of many forgeries and 
villanies you had committed, for which it behoved her to make 
reparation'? Is it probable she would part with her money 1 
Would she not rather say I was mad, if she did not sue me for 
scandal ? But dropping these matters till our next interview — M 

Here the manuscript ends. Whether Mr. Ogilvie did not see 
him any more, or whether death prevented his writing the rest of 
their conversation, is not certain. 



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